Eight shops we lost this year in Havering and Brentwood

Several businesses, big and small, have been forced to close in Havering this year, with many hit by the cost-of-living crisis.

Two of these shops were within Romford Shopping Hall - both businesses that stood for years serving the community, but sadly had to close.

Here is a round-up of eight Havering shops we lost in 2023.

1 Arkadia Kardz in Romford Shopping Hall

Arkadia Kardz in Romford Shopping Hall closed on February 14 (Image: Ben Lynch)

A downturn in customers led to the closure of Arkadia Kardz on February 14, according to its founder Graham Walker.

The card store made a temporary return to Romford Shopping Hall ahead of Christmas.

Graham previously said he would miss seeing his customers on a regular basis.

"I will really miss them all," he added.

RELATED NEWS - PHOTOS: Old Upminster shops photographed over time

2 McDowell's Pie & Mash in Romford Shopping Hall

The pie and mash shop announced it would close for July 29 (Image: Chantelle Billson)

A Romford favourite, McDowell's pie and mash had a reputation for providing high-quality, affordable fare.

Linda McDowell, owner, said soaring prices and tough times had prompted her into retirement. 

The family-run takeaway ran for almost 60 years, 40 of those in Romford.

3 Juju's The Style Closet in Elm Park

Anthony Button's Juju's The Style Closet shut its pop-up store in September (Image: Juju's The Style Closet)

On September 29 The Recorder published a story after Juju's The Style Closet was ordered to close its Elm Park pop-up store by Havering Council.

Owner Anthony Button had been trading every Friday in Belhurst Avenue since June this year, but the council determined he was doing so without a licence.

Residents had bemoaned the decision, but Juju's is still taking online orders.

4 Prezzo in High Street, Brentwood

Italian restaurant chain Prezzo announced it would close its Brentwood restaurant amid the cost-of-living crisis and soaring inflation.

Its Brentwood branch in High Street was set to shut on April 24 this year.

A total of 46 Prezzos were deemed "loss-making" at that time and subsequently stopped service.

5 M&CO in Upminster

M&Co announced it would close its Upminster branch in Spring 2023 (Image: Google)

Scottish clothing retailer M&Co announced it would shut its Upminster branch in April 2023.

This was following the sale of the brand to AK Retail.

M&Co Upminster was replaced by Anytime Fitness Gym.

6 Olive Well in Main Road, Gidea Park

The natural and organic store announced it was closing on August 29 (Image: Chantelle Billson)

Olive Well, a natural and organic store, announced its closure on Facebook on August 29.

Residents, including Brian Taylor, said reacted with sadness.

He wrote: "Sad to see that the Olive Well [...] is closing.

"It was always an interesting shop with a different outlook on food and an alternative to Costa."

7 & 8. Wilko in Romford and Brentwood

Wilko in The Mercury shut on October 5 (Image: Google)

Home and hardware chain Wilko collapsed into administration late this year, capping a difficult year for retailers big and small.

Romford's Wilko in The Mercury shopping centre closed on October 5.

The Brentwood branch in The Baytree Centre was due to shut on September 27.

Romford shoppers had previously expressed their sadness at the closure.

"Gutted Wilko's closed," said reader Adam Grace. "Such a useful shop."

"Who should or even could replace Wilko? That’s a huge unit as was BHS, Littlewoods, Debenhams," added Jan Jennings.