Overview

• Founded in 1959, Dabners will shutter on August 16 after its business rates relief fell from 75% to 25% and customer numbers plunged by 30% in one month.
• Owner Mark Oram also flagged persistent shoplifting and antisocial behaviour in Croydon town centre—culminating in a knife-point incident last year—as unsustainable.
• Croydon Council has called the closure “disappointing” and allocated £4.4 million to the Amplifying Surrey Street programme to enhance market infrastructure, greenery, and events.
• The Metropolitan Police reports shoplifting in the town centre has fallen by 31% over six months and is deploying increased patrols and intelligence-led operations this summer.
• Reflecting nationwide pressures on independent retailers, Oram plans to open a new pet shop in Horsham, West Sussex, as high streets face post-pandemic inflation and reduced relief.