A LADIES fashion store which has stood in Weston for more than 80 years, is set to close in the near future.

The unit used by Phylenda, in Waterloo Street, has been put up for sale as the store tries to sell its last remaining stock.

The shop will disappear from the town centre by March when its lease expires, or sooner if a buyer is quickly found.

Betty Rawlings, who has worked at the store for more than 30 years, said independent traders were suffering at the hands of High Street chains.

She said the store’s original character and charm has remained intact ever since it opened in the 1920s.

Mrs Rawlings, who still helps out at the shop occasionally despite recently moving to Cornwall, said: “I think it is very sad that it will go because when I started running the shop, it was with a partner who died about 10 years ago.

“I carried on afterwards and it has always been a fashion shop for mature ladies.

“When Phlyenda was started there were several similar ones but now there are none. It is a shame really.”