A WHOLEFOOD shop in Abingdon is closing its doors after more than three decades of trading.

Frugal Food, in West St Helen Street, is the latest independent business in the town to shut up shop.

The store, which sells whole foods, supplements and a wide range of products from lentils to organic body care products, will remain open until the stock is sold, possibly by the end of the month.

Grocer John May opened the shop 31 years ago and it was taken over in 1988 by Val Stoner, who bought the business in 1991.

She said: “We are sad to be going after all this time because we have some very loyal customers, but we simply don’t have enough customers to keep going.

“Some people are almost in tears and we want to thank those people who have been so loyal over the years.

“This situation is due to a number of factors — Tesco and other supermarkets have put pressure on small businesses in the town centre and shopping habits have changed.

“A lot of people do their shopping on the Internet these days and the new traffic system introduced in Abingdon a couple of years ago probably hasn’t helped.

“But the biggest single factor that has led to fewer shoppers coming into Abingdon is the lack of free parking.

“I’m an optimist and I do think Abingdon has got a lot of potential, but it does need a helping hand and some free parking is crucial.

“The Co-op in this street was closed for several years while it was being refurbished and that didn’t help because we lost a lot of our passing trade.

“When the Co-op reopened, the passing trade we once had never came back.”

Other independent stores closing in Abingdon in recent years include Glendale electrical store, Beadles hardware, Braggs cycle shop and Modern Music.

Peter Wiblin, joint president of Abingdon Chamber of Commerce, said: “It’s a great shame these independent shops are closing — the shoe shop in West St Helen Street is also going.

“Free parking is probably not going to happen, but the district council needs to be more open-minded and have a radical review of its pricing structure because some of the car parks are half-empty at the moment.

“There are many ways to skin a cat and the council should look around the country and see what charging structures other councils are using.”

In September 2006, Stratton Way in Abingdon was switched from one-way to two-way traffic and was blamed by some traders for a reduction in the number of visitors to the town.

affrench@oxfordmail.co.uk