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ON Saturday an old-fashioned sweet shop will close its doors for the last time - after 75 years selling 'rhubarb and custard' and other traditional delights.

But Sweet Talk, on Marlow's busy High Street, is just one of thousands of small retailers nationwide which have been forced into closure by spiralling rents and increased competition from supermarkets which have expanded their product range to provide a "one-stop" service for customers.

This week, retailers and business leaders tell Midweek how they fear the trend towards shopping in large retail complexes is leading to a loss of vitality in town centres across the region.

Sweet Talk owner Derrick Williams, who has been running the business for more than five years, says he is closing the shop after being beaten by soaring rents and warns that other independent retailers in the area will face similar problems.

He tells Midweek: "I've been here a long time and it's a shame but it's the way of the world - I am only one of thousands of small shops that will close this year and I'm going to close quietly on Saturday without making too much of a fuss."

Mr Williams explains that, ironically, many of the old-fashioned sweets he sells are not available in supermarkets and will not be sold anywhere else in the town.

He says: "It is the last of the traditional sweet shops with jars - we used to have 150 different jars of sweets - and 90 per cent of what we sell will not be available in this area as supermarkets don't stock sweets like gingers and china or rhubarb and custard."

Richard Hunt, president of Marlow Chamber of Trade and Commerce, claims steep rent increases will drive small independent shopkeepers, who are already competing with out-of-town supermarkets, from the heart of Marlow town centre.

He says: "It is very sad and I think, once it closes, the sweet shop will be missed by a lot of people.

"There is great concern among small retailers about the cost of rent and out-of-town shopping - if we lose the little shops the shopping heart of the town will die."

Many different types of independently-owned shops are suffering because of the trend towards one-stop shopping.

Three months ago, independently-owned Atlantis Records, in Gregories Road, Beaconsfield, closed after 20 years trading because of increasing competition from supermarkets and newsagents.

Former owner Jeremy Hinch blames the closure on the fact that today's shopper can find CDs just about anywhere - even in video shops and petrol stations.

He says many large retailers are able to sell well-known hit albums at discounted prices, sometimes for less than small outlets are able to buy the product. He fears superstores are diversifying so much that soon there will be no independent retailers left on the streets.

He tells Midweek: "These sorts of outlets are just creaming the top off the market - they're fine if you want to buy well-known hit albums, but if you want something a little bit out of the ordinary, specialist record dealers are the only option. Unfortunately we needed to sell the hit records to be able to operate at a profit."

Mr Hinch has now set up a mail-order business for customers who still prefer to buy records from a specialist.

In nearby Gerrards Cross there is more than one shop under impending threat from larger competition after supermarket giant Tesco applied to build a 3,300sq metre superstore over the railway line in the village's central thoroughfare, Packhorse Road.

A planning inquiry was held in January after South Bucks District Council refused permission for the development on the grounds that other shops in the area might be forced to close and that the proposed store would ruin the economic vitality of the village.

The planning decision was made after a forceful campaign by residents who formed the Anti-Tesco Action Committee (ATAC) and Gerrards Cross Parish Council, which was also opposed to the development. Hundreds of angry residents and many of the village's concerned retailers packed into the inquiry in Slough to protest at what they felt was a threat to the very character of Gerrards Cross.

Narendra Rathod, owner of One Stop Shop, in Oxford Road, Gerrards Cross, is in no doubt what the effects will be if permission is given for the supermarket to be built.

He says: "It's simple - if Tesco comes to Gerrards Cross that will be the end of this business, I'm quite sure of that.

"The supermarket chains have such incredible purchasing power they are able to sell day-to-day items - such as milk and bread - far cheaper than we ever could. They also have so much more room so they can sell such a wide range of products that we just cannot compete."

Mr Rathod, who has been running One Stop Shop for nine years, says he is concerned for the future economic viability of the village if the development goes ahead, and says the whole character of Gerrards Cross will change - for ever - if shops are forced to close down because of the new competition.

He explains: "Apart from really specialist shops which sell things like clothes, and service providers like estate agents, every retailer in the village will be affected if Tesco is built.

"I am most concerned about shops such as florists, butchers and bakers - they are the ones who will be worst affected."

The Department for the Environment is expected to make its decision on the Gerrards Cross application within the next three months.

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