Lichfield doughnut store closes over low footfall

The owner of a doughnut shop in Lichfield has said he has been forced to close his store due to low footfall in the area.

Duncan McGregor’s Planet Doughnut store opened in the city in December 2021.

He said discussion had taken place with his landlord regarding finding a new tenant.

The firm’s other shops are unaffected, he said, and continued to trade well.

Mr McGregor said he had initially planned to shut the Lichfield store last year but business unexpectedly picked up and he was able to keep it open.

He said: “Things have got gradually worse and it’s not worth opening most days.

“We’ve still got two years left to run on the lease but it serves us better to close and let the landlord find new tenants.”

Mr McGregor said he had tried to entice more people into his store but to little effect.

“It started off really well in Lichfield and we’ve tried different deals and offers, but it’s a hard economy to be selling a premium doughnut in basically,” he said.

In the meantime, the store would be winding down, he said, and only opening on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

The company closed its store in Nantwich last year, which Mr McGregor said faced similar issues to the store in Lichfield.

Despite this he is optimistic about his chances elsewhere and said he was looking to expand into other sites which have a more certain level of footfall.

He said he planned to look for premises in Solihull and Liverpool.

The Lichfield shop is expected to close within the next few weeks, he said.

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