'Shock Dorset businesses closed in April

Marks and Spencer 

The Wimborne branch closed on Friday, April 26 only six months after opening. 

Franchised by Jersey-based Sandpiper CI, the store opened last autumn to a fanfare with the town mayor and town crier, Christopher Brown, giving a speech on the much-anticipated new shop. 

A spokesman said: "We know this will be sad news for some of our customers and we’d like to thank them, and the local community, for supporting and shopping with us.” 

The Cockleshell 

One of Poole’s oldest pubs, in Lagland Street, closed in what was described as a “complete shock”. 

It follows the retirement of owner Josie Way, who has run the pub with her family for 16 years. 

Josie issued a thanks to the loyal customers who have supported the pub over the years, and to Geoff Thompson who gave her the opportunity of taking it on. 

Lamberts of Ringwood  

The established gun shop in Market Place, Ringwood has closed in what has been described as ‘the end of an era’. 

The shop has been trading as a gunsmith for more than 100 years, and has been in the hands of current owner Malcolm Lambert since the 1990s. 

Now, 78-year-old Malcolm has decided to retire, putting an end to service at the traditional country shop. 

Retired Nurses National Home 

Closing this month after nine years of service, the RNNH gave the elderly the opportunity to live a fulfilled retirement. 

The RNNH was gifted to Friends of the Elderly (FotE) in 2015, a charity that supports older people in care homes and day care services across England. 

Situated behind Bournemouth hospital, it also offered a dementia unit staffed by a specially trained care team providing dementia-focused care. 

Clarks 

Blandford’s shoe shop closed earlier this month and thanked its 'loyal customers' throughout the years. 

Several Blandford residents took to Facebook to share their disappointment of the closure of the large footwear chain.  

"We’d like to thank our loyal customers who have shopped with us at our Blandford store, and we’ll be delighted to continue to serve them with our full range of products online and at our nearby Clarks stores in Wimborne, Poole and Bournemouth.”