In photos: Sussex shops, restaurants and pubs that sadly closed their doors in 2023

By Lawrence Smith

Published 16th Dec 2023, 15:55 BST

Updated 16th Dec 2023, 17:09 BST

As 2023 comes to a close we’re taking a look back at some of the businesses that shut in our town centres.

Sadly, there were more than a few popular shops and pubs that closed their doors forever this year.

Below is a picture gallery of just some of them. More will be added over the coming week.

Eco-friendly store Scrapless in the Martlets Shopping Centre, Burgess Hill, closed its doors in summer. It was a low-waste refill shop that supplied hundreds of residents with more than 1,000 environmentally safe and plastic free products.
Founder Meg King brought the sustainable community interest company to the town in 2020 when she was just 22. The Scrapless Team announced the closure on their Facebook page on June 24 after three years in business. They said: “We are very sad to announce that we will be closing our doors for good on the 22nd of July.”

1. Scrapless

Eco-friendly store Scrapless in the Martlets Shopping Centre, Burgess Hill, closed its doors in summer. It was a low-waste refill shop that supplied hundreds of residents with more than 1,000 environmentally safe and plastic free products. Founder Meg King brought the sustainable community interest company to the town in 2020 when she was just 22. The Scrapless Team announced the closure on their Facebook page on June 24 after three years in business. They said: “We are very sad to announce that we will be closing our doors for good on the 22nd of July.” Photo: Steve Robards

Lime Squeezy in South Street, Chichester, closed its doors in January 2023 after opening in the former Wahaca site in May 2021. The Thai restaurant was set up by Pranee Laurillard who founded Giggling Squid and was looking into a new venture.
The owners posted to its Facebook page: “It’s with great sadness that we announce the closure of our Lime Squeezy restaurant in Chichester as of January 9. It’s been a great journey and we want to thank all who visited us and shared our passion for Southeast Asian food. We hope this is not a goodbye…we’ve got a few plans bubbling!”

2. Lime Squeezy

Lime Squeezy in South Street, Chichester, closed its doors in January 2023 after opening in the former Wahaca site in May 2021. The Thai restaurant was set up by Pranee Laurillard who founded Giggling Squid and was looking into a new venture. The owners posted to its Facebook page: “It’s with great sadness that we announce the closure of our Lime Squeezy restaurant in Chichester as of January 9. It’s been a great journey and we want to thank all who visited us and shared our passion for Southeast Asian food. We hope this is not a goodbye…we’ve got a few plans bubbling!” Photo: Google Street View

Wilko shut the doors of its Horsham store on October 8 and was the last in Sussex to close following the company’s collapse. Stores in Crawley, Eastbourne and Bognor closed on September 17 and Worthing and Burgess Hill branches shut on October 5.
Many took to social media to speak of their sorrow. One said: “Loved going into that shop when visiting Horsham. Will miss it.”

3. Wilko

Wilko shut the doors of its Horsham store on October 8 and was the last in Sussex to close following the company’s collapse. Stores in Crawley, Eastbourne and Bognor closed on September 17 and Worthing and Burgess Hill branches shut on October 5. Many took to social media to speak of their sorrow. One said: “Loved going into that shop when visiting Horsham. Will miss it.” Photo: Sarah Page

Smitten: Linger to Love in Chichester announced its closure on November 26 and regulars were gutted by the decision. After five years of losses, owners felt they had no other option but to stop trading. They said on Facebook: “We tried for as long as we could to keep going but after everything that the world has thrown our way, it just became untenable.”

4. Smitten: Linger to Love

Smitten: Linger to Love in Chichester announced its closure on November 26 and regulars were gutted by the decision. After five years of losses, owners felt they had no other option but to stop trading. They said on Facebook: “We tried for as long as we could to keep going but after everything that the world has thrown our way, it just became untenable.” Photo: Connor Gormley