TRADITIONAL sweet shop Sweet Talk will close quietly next Saturday after 75 years in Marlow High Street.

Owner Derrick Williams said he is closing after being beaten by high rents.

He said: "It's been here a long time. It's a big shame but it's the way of the world.

"It is one of 20,000 small shops that will close this year. I am going to close quietly at 5.30pm on Saturday. That's what I felt. I am losing my job, I just thought 'shut it quietly'."

Last month Mr Williams, who has run the shop for the past five years, blamed high rents as a big part of the reason behind the closure.

He said rents would continue to be a problem for independent traders in the town.

Mr Williams said many of the sweets he sold would not be available in supermarkets.

He added: "It is the last of the traditional sweet shops with jars. We used to have 150 different jars of sweets. The funny thing is, 90 per cent of what we sell will not be available in this area. Supermarkets don't stock sweets like gingers and china, and rhubarb and custard."

Richard Hunt, president of Marlow Chamber of Trade and Commerce, said: "It is very sad and I think once it closes it will be missed by a lot of people.

"With the deregulation of chemists now being talked about, a lot of small chemists will disappear as well. Perhaps it is a sign of the times."

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