Cost of living crisis takes its toll as Wester Ross 'institution' Parlett's of Ullapool declares plans to shut up shop at the end of November citing reasons for heartbreaking decision
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THE impending closure of a Ross-shire "institution" is being lamented by locals and seen as a harbinger of tough times for small businesses slammed by multiple pressures in the current cost of living crisis.
Parlett's Convenience Store in Ullapool has been passed down generations of the family and is widely scene as part of the very fabric of the Wester Ross village as well as a local lifeline during the coronavirus pandemic.
Soaring costs and a lack of interest in anyone taking on the business has forced the hand of Allister and Heather Parlett who have announced plans to close at the end of November.
The shop also houses a Post Office counter presenting another issue to be resolved.
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Mr Parlett – son of Ray who opened the shop in 1977 – said: "This shop has been most of my life. It's probably harder for me than it is for the customers. It is what it is unfortunately, closing is the only option. The electricity bills are too high to sustain. I could charge a lot more, but then I’d have no customers. Not an easy decision at all, but probably the right one in the long run.
"I'm trying not to get emotional about it. I know the price of electricity will eventually outweigh what we make – it already does. Pretty much killed us completely. You get to the point you're spending so much on running costs you can't pay for the suppliers, you end up not having stock, and you can't make any money - so nobody gets paid. I think the cost of living crisis is the driving factor behind everything. If your costs of having the lights on multiplies by ten, you can't sustain that, any profit you're making is gone. Nobody is going to work for nothing, if you're self employed you pretty much work for nothing anyway."
He said he hopes other business will pick up the slack, adding: "It's never an easy decision shutting a local shop. It's inevitable one way or another. I'd rather get out while I've got my sanity. We’re working with the Post Office to find somewhere for it to move to, even just temporarily. There will still be a Post Office, that's for sure. At the moment we are unsure of what will happen with the shop space, but hopefully it will still be a business."
The shop has carried everything from local meat and ice cream to birthday cards and stationery and played its part as a lifeline provider during the pandemic.
Local MSP Maree Todd, who was brought up in Ullapool, said: “It has been a much loved institution at the heart of Ullapool for decades its hard to imagine Shore Street without them. I am particularly concerned that the community will have no access to Post Office services. I have written to the Post Office with my colleague, Cllr Liz Kraft, to highlight the impact the loss of services will have on the local community. We have requested a full update and for the Post Office to set out viable options to ensure the communities postal and banking needs are met following the closure of the local newsagents.”
On social media Alice Boden called it "the end of an institution". "Ullapool won't be the same," wrote Elizabeth Torrence. "You put in a good shift", wrote Jo Mac. Billy Gibson stated: "Sadly, you'll be one of many small businesses closing! A lovely couple that was at the hub of the community."
