Turner's Newsagents on Lichfield Street in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, is closing its doors on Friday after 50 years in business. The shop has supplied the local community with papers and groceries since January 1975.
Founder June Turner, 89, said she would miss the shop despite the early starts. "We've got to go sometime haven't we?" she said. "It's been marvellous."
Her son Alan Turner, who runs the business alongside her, began working at the shop as a paper boy when he was 13, before the newsagent was established. He continues to deliver papers now. "I think I must be the oldest newspaper boy in the country," he said.
The 2019 Robbery
Turner's Newsagents hit the headlines in 2019 when June Turner, then 82, fended off a homeless thief with her walking stick. The man, wrapped in a sleeping bag, confronted her wanting to steal money from the till.
June Turner used her walking stick—given to her after a recent hip replacement—to fight him off. "I just hit him on his back and up his bum," she said. "I just smacked him. He really had it."
She was awarded £250 by the High Sheriff for her bravery. The thief was later jailed.
Why the Shop Is Closing
The decision to close followed a downturn in business during the Covid pandemic, which the Turners said never really recovered. Changing shopping habits have also affected trade.
The local community was already affected when nearby terrace properties were demolished in 2004 for a regeneration scheme. "All round here was full of terrace properties and it's taken 15 years before they've actually started rebuilding again and bringing the communities back," Alan Turner said. "But habits have changed during that time, and it's just one of those things."
His son James Turner predicted it would be "a bit emotional" to see the shutters come down. "On the whole it's been really good memories. We've had lots of fun and lots of laughs," he said.
Customer Barry Clunn said: "June has been outstanding, absolutely outstanding."
