Newtown dry cleaners hit hard by energy crisis closes after 23 years

Premier Cleaners, one of the oldest businesses in Bear Lanes Shopping Centre in Newtown, will be shutting its doors for the final time today due to increasing energy costs.

This makes it the latest addition to the growing list of businesses in the town centre that have recently announced closures.

Joyce Jones, the owner of Premier Cleaners, expressed her gratitude to the customers who have supported the business for the past 23 years. She stated that the rising energy costs were a major contributing factor to the decision to close the business. Joyce acknowledged that the past few years have been challenging and that she was looking forward to taking a break.

Customers have been advised to collect their belongings before the shop closes. The closure of Premier Cleaners follows in the footsteps of Shoes for the Soul, another business in Bear Lanes Shopping Centre that recently announced its closure.

Since the Covid pandemic in early 2020, other businesses that have left the shopping centre include TUI Holiday Store and Polka Dot Travel.

Bear Lanes Shopping Centre, which has 20 units, was sold for more than £1.3 million at an auction in London last year, which was £305,000 more than the asking price. It replaced the long-standing Bear Hotel in the centre of town in 1989.