Town centre shop Whites of Kent is to close due to a lack of business, after 45 years in the town.

Residents have been saddened by the news the ladieswear and linen shop, in New Street, will shut on April 17.

Mark Moorhouse, chairman of Sandwich Chamber of Commerce, described it as a “high profile casualty” which would leave a “significant void” in Sandwich.

Company director Nigel White said the shop, which opened in 1970, had been losing money for the last few years.

He said: “There’s nobody walking about in Sandwich. Even if we’ve got everything in the shop at a penny we’re still not going to sell it, even at those ridiculous prices.

“It’s just not paying its way. The footfall in Sandwich isn’t great enough to pay wages and pay business rates and buy bits and pieces.

“We’ve been making a loss for the last couple of years and this year as well. All the other [Whites] shops are staying open. We didn’t want that one to pull it down and ruin the rest of the company so we’ve had to make the decision to pull out.”

The closure will result in four members of staff losing their jobs – two part-timers and two full-time.

Whites of Kent sells women’s clothes, menswear, hosiery and linen and also has shops in Faversham, Dover, Whitstable and Cliftonville, which will remain open.

Mr White said people in Sandwich could shop online and have their items delivered or could travel to the other shops.

He said: “If people had come in and spent we wouldn’t be in this situation. It’s very sad.”

He believes the lack of sales is due to the knock-on effect of Pfizer leaving and the recession, meaning less money in people’s pockets.

He also said retail has changed significantly in the last five to ten years with Internet shopping and big supermarkets. This has been echoed by Sandwich Chamber of Commerce.

Mr Moorhouse said: “The Chamber of Commerce is very saddened by the impending closure of Whites of Kent - this will leave a significant void in the focal point which this business has occupied for many years. The chamber views this announcement as a high profile casualty - resultant from the significant change in shopping habits in the UK.

"With respect to footfall in the town centre, it is true that the increase in events have contributed to an increase in footfall but we accept that these events are held on specific weekends predominantly in the spring and summer months and may not permeate throughout the year as a whole.

“There are no easy answers to the very real problem of the shrinking ‘high street’ and it has to be remembered that the factors Whites of Kent cite as reasons for the closure are prevalent across the whole of the country.

“Looking to the future, the chamber is working with Discovery Park to ensure that the links between the Enterprise Zone and Sandwich town centre is of benefit to residents, businesses and visitors alike but we are also mindful that small independent traders are threatened by the proliferation of out of town retail parks and Internet shopping.”