Mystery over why pet shop has suddenly closed

Mystery surrounds the closure of a Leatherhead pet shop in Surrey which suddenly shut earlier this month.

Purrfect Pet Care is believed to have closed about three weeks ago and it has left locals stunned as it has always seemed popular.

Questions have been asked as to whether high rental rates played a part in the High Street shop's closure.

Rob Nunn, 21, who works in the Subway next door, told the Surrey Mirror: "It closed a couple of weeks back, maybe three. We don't know why but the staff would always come and speak to us at lunch. They came in, just said they were closing and that was it.

"It is a shame as that was the only pet shop in town and other shops are closing as well it would seem. People want shops like that but now you will have to go somewhere else, it's a shame."

Purrfect Pet Care was based in the Swan Shopping Centre for three years before moving into the former Starbucks coffee shop site next door to Subway three years ago.

The leasehold for the retail site has been posted up on the website of commercial property agency Hurst Warne since the end of July but it was unable to confirm if any new company is currently lined up to move into the site.

Leatherhead South district councillor Rosemary Dickson said: "I was aware of it closing and am not sure why. A new pet shop has opened in Fetcham recently [which may be a reason]. They did a huge refurb and I thought it was going well. It's unthinkable why such a popular shop should close.

"I think it's very sad that such a shop would close. The rents are high and that is part of the trouble [shops are finding in general] and I don't know what we can do about it. It was popular and it moved from the Swan Centre because the rent there is high so I would have thought it would have done well [in the new location].

"It's bad when any shop closes and we don't want an empty site on the High Street."