THE boss of a Galashiels convenience store, which closed at the weekend, has cited the coming of the Borders Railway as a contributory factor in the shop’s demise.

“It is without doubt taking people out of the town and, when you work on small margins, the loss of that trade can make all the difference,” said Neil Babington who has run the Scott Street Stores for the last six years.

The closure of his business comes as the owners of another local retail outlet – the Clovenfords Village Shop – confirmed they are leaving the Borders and will cease trading at the end of this month.

Mr Babington said he was “deeply saddened”.

“Shops like this have to find a niche when faced with the competition from supermarkets, and we managed that nicely for the first few years,” he told the Border Telegraph.

“But, after levelling out, trade took a turn for the worse last year, partly due to the legislation which meant tobacco products could not be displayed.

“This meant we could not promote our price-marked products which gave us the edge over the supermarkets.

“With fewer people buying cigarettes and newspapers, because so much news is available online, we were also not helped by the closure of Scott Street for 22 days because of a private housing development.

“But, the straw that broke the camel’s back has, in my view, been the railway which has not only hit footfall in the town centre but also outlying shops like this one, particularly with regard to our drink sales.”

Mr Babington said his attempts to find someone to take over the lease of the outlet had been unsuccessful.

“I’m deeply saddened, not only for my staff but also for the many loyal customers who have supported us,” he told us. “I just hope they appreciate the circumstances and pressures which made it impossible to continue.”

Also this week, Stuart and Dorina McCreadie, who bought the village store in Clovenfords in 2004, confirmed they are closing the business at the end of this month.

“We’ve had a business opportunity in Inverness and are moving there with our four children,” said Mr McCreadie, “It is a personal rather than a business decision.

“We have been in discussions about leasing the shop and we are hopeful someone will take over in the future, but sadly that may not happen for some time.

“We’ve had a wonderful time in Clovenfords and are grateful for all the support we’ve received over the last 12 years.”

Councillor Stuart Bell (Tweeddale East), who lives in Clovenfords, commented: “While I wish Stuart and Dorina all the best for their future, I am really saddened to hear of the impending closure of our village shop.”