The owners of a Norwich newsagent have announced the business is to close - and while they'll miss their customers they won't miss long hours and early starts.

Eastern Daily Press: Mr News on Castle Meadow which will close on September 15. Picture: staffMr News on Castle Meadow which will close on September 15. Picture: staff (Image: Archant)

After almost three decades, Avi and Mala Matkar, the owners of Mr News newsagent on Castle Meadow, have announced they will be closing on September 15.

The couple, who live in Hethersett and have run the city centre newsagent for 29 years, said the decision to close the shop coincided with the premises lease coming up for renewal and the desire to take a break.

Mrs Matkar said: "We want a bit more time for ourselves and to do some travelling. Our lease will run out later this month and we don't want to renew it so it's a happy coincidence.

"We've been doing 72-hour weeks and we haven't been able to take a holiday. The part I'm most looking forward to is not having to get up at 5.15am every morning."

Mr Matkar said over the years the couple had seen lots of changes in the city.

He said: "When I took over this shop there was no Chapelfield, no Castle Mall, the streets were busier and now, because of on line shopping there's not that many people coming into the city."

The couple said they also thought there had been a fall in the number of tourists visiting the city but said that despite the changes the shop still had lots of regulars, some who they had seen grow-up and go onto to have families of their own.

"We have lots of regulars and we are going to sorely miss them.

"We have seen little boys grow up into young men with their own children. Customers we have been serving for 29-years, some of them have got married."

Planning to go travelling to India for three months upon their retirement, the couple said they would like to see the shop remain a newsagent: "So many people rely on us and it's really sad that we have to do this, so at least, [if the shop stayed a newsagent] they would be looked after."

Sending a goodbye message to their customers, the couple said: "We have got to know people and their lives over the years.

"We'd like to say thank-you for your custom and for supporting us and the shop, just a big thank-you," they said.

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