The owner of a shoe shop on Marlow High Street said the business will close its doors next month for reasons out of his control.

Shoe Emporium, a foorwear store that has been at number 71 on Marlow High Street for five years, is set to close in five weeks after coming to the end of its lease agreement.

Harras Naeem, co-owner of the company which also has branches in Worcestershire and Oxfordshire, said he was told that the property had been handed over to a different commercial tenant last Monday.

"It's tough but it's just one of those things. Marlow was our biggest store so we're hoping to relocate to somewhere nearby but it's getting a bit tight. We're asking for an extra month to give us more time to look."

Harras, who oversees Shoe Emporium alongside his business partner Gary Walford, said the last few years had been "one thing after another" for the small company.

"There was lockdown, which was difficult for everyone, and then I got unwell after that and had to recover from a brain tumour."

He has been hopeful that the shop would be able to stay on at number 71, but said it was likely that "a bigger company had come in with a lot more money" to take over the spot.

Although the past week has not been an easy one for Shoe Emporium, Harras said he had found it bittersweet because of the outpouring of support he had seen from the local community.

"The thing that I enjoy most about this store is the loyal customers. Since Monday, there has been around 100 people a day coming in and all saying the same thing - 'Why are you leaving?', 'It's so sad' and 'This is the only affordable store in Marlow'.

"I didn't expect there to be this much interest. It's definitely a nice surprise. We've had lots of people asking if we're going to go online, which I think would be difficult with shoes because people want to try them on. But it might end up being our only option." 

Across all three Shoe Emporium stores in the UK, the combination of quality and affordability is a major customer draw.

Harras acknowledged that keeping prices low, especially during a cost-of-living crisis and in an affluent area like Marlow, is "needed more than ever".

"We've always kept our prices down and that's really helped to attract regular customers. I'm hopeful that we'll find somewhere else because this shop really is my life, it's what I've always done.

"We're trying to focus on the positives at the moment - it's been a very good five years."