A bakery store in Stowmarket has closed - about two years after opening up.

Little Pig Bakery in Station Road West was described as a "brilliant, fantastic" business by a town council spokesman, who added that news of its closure was "devastating".

"It's a crying shame they have closed and I don't think it was for a lack of business because every time I went in the place was packed."

He guessed that the closure might have been related to a combination of rent, rates and energy rises.

"It's a real shame because it's exactly the kind of shop you want in a high street," he said.

It was the kind of independent artisan business they were looking for to maintain Stowmarket high street, he added.

"It's brought a lot of people in because it was such a good baker's. It's going to be sorely missed - it really is."

However, the town's high street was still doing "quite well" compared to others of similar size, he added.  There were fewer empty shops than most towns "but it's the type of shop we have got to work on".

"It's difficult for landlords as well because most of those businesses are tenanted rather than owned by the business. If the tenant is finding it difficult the landlord is finding it difficult.

"The landlords are having to be a bit more realistic. I don't think the vacancy rate is as bad in Stowmarket as in equivalent towns."

The town had grown hugely, he said, although the high street had lost its butcher's shop a few years ago.

"It's grown tremendously and there are a lot of developments about and that does bring people into the town."

However, there were plenty of cafes, and the town council is expecting that The Peel Centre's new cafe - which will open in an old bank building in the town square - will be a draw when it opens in the summer.

The other big development for the town is the Food Museum opposite Asda which is benefiting from a £1.4m funding investment to improve its offer.

"That really will put the place on the map," he said. The town's Regal Cinema has also benefited from huge investment.Gateway 14 - a huge district council-run business park opposite Tesco - would be bringing many hundreds of jobs to the town.

A consultation exercise on a future vision for the town - called Stow Vision - is expected to report back soon on its findings

Zoe and Tristan Hasler ran The Barn Cafe at Alder Carr Farm for five years before it closed as a result of the pandemic.

The husband-and-wife team - both from catering backgrounds - then launched their Little Pig Bakery brand which also operates online.

A sign on the door of the Little Pig Bakery shop in Stowmarket reads: "Shop closing April 1. Keep your eyes peeled on social media for what's next."

East Anglian Daily Times: