A family business with 28 shops in Wales and England has gone into liquidation.
Employees at Shaws the Draper, which sold curtains and housewares, have received an email confirming the closure of the 106-year-old business.
In the message, owner Philip Shaw said the company had hoped to be restructured after a “challenging year” but decided it was no longer viable.
Around 150 employees are said to be affected.
Shaws has been a staple on many high streets for decades, having opened its first shop in Wales in 1916.
The liquidators said the company was placed on voluntary liquidation and officially ceased trading on Dec. 23.
Its website lists 28 stores, with 15 in Wales and a further 13 in the South West of England and the West Midlands.
This month, staff were told that no new stock would be ordered into warehouses before Christmas as remaining stock would be sold off at discounted prices.
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Jan Holmes, 64, who worked at the Bridgend store, said the staff had been visited by Mr Shaw but he could not confirm what would happen to their jobs.
“We knew it was coming but it’s still a shock,” Ms Holmes said.
“The week before Christmas, on Monday, we got a call telling us to close the shop within an hour.
“We had to ask customers to make their last purchase and we closed the store. It was upsetting for everyone, for us and for the customers.”
“It’s the end of an era,” she said.
Ms Holmes, who has worked at Shaws since August, previously ran a gift shop in Pencoed, County Bridgend, which closed in the wake of the pandemic.
“I’m sorry for everyone involved,” she said. “It’s another shop that has gone off the main road, it’s a shame.”
Ms Holmes said she will make the most of the holidays and look for work in the New Year.
In the email, Shaws said the employees would be paid in full by Dec. 24 and a bankruptcy firm would be contacting them in the coming days to discuss severance arrangements.
Stones & Co of Swansea was engaged by Shaws and asked for comment.
Shaws said in its email it wanted to help employees find new jobs and thanked them for their service.
“After 100 years of trading, this decision hasn’t been taken lightly and we fully appreciate the consequences for you, but the business just isn’t profitable and we don’t see a way to make it happen,” it said.
A spokesman said an appraiser had been hired to assess the value of the company’s assets.
“It is understood that all former employees of the company have been paid their outstanding wages and vacation pay,” they added.
“For former employees who are entitled to severance pay and/or payment in lieu of termination, those claims will be processed by the Redundancy Payments Service.”
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