High costs force butchers to close Stratford branch

A BUTCHER’S shop in Stratford is closing after 18 months, due to ‘higher costs and reduced trade’.

The Artisan Butcher on Wood Street, which opened in October 2021, will now operate from its larger store in Warwick.

A notice on the door thanks customers and explains: ‘Facing higher costs and reduced trade we have made the difficult decision to concentrate on serving our retail customers in Stratford with local deliveries from our larger Warwick shop.’

It urges Stratford customers to order online and have their meat delivered, or to visit the Warwick shop.

The Herald contacted owner Terry Dyer but he declined to comment.

In May last year, Mr Dyer was caught up in a row over parking fines after he was slapped with £700-worth of tickets by a parking enforcement company acting for Bell Court.

Mr Dyer criticised Bell Court’s actions as a “heavy handed approach”, explaining he needed to load his van for deliveries at least four times a day.

He said the back of his shop was too narrow for his van and claimed that Bell Court would not allow him a parking permit.

The Wood Street unit was previously occupied by cheese company Paxton and Whitfield.

Mr Dyer’s long career in the meat business includes time at a company which owned 30 abattoirs and at a meat company selling to multinational clients.