A shop has announced it is ser to permanently close after five years in the village.

Torden Stores in Port St Mary confirmed the closure in a fresh statement published today (Sunday), saying the decision had taken an emotional and mental toll.

The store said: ‘After five wonderful years, Torden Stores is closing its doors.

‘We are happy to have met you all and will cherish the memories.

‘Thank you for being part of our journey.

‘We are in the process of selling all stock and heavier items - shelves, card racks, machines etc.

‘The shop will be open for the sale Monday to Thursday, 10am until 3pm, for the next two weeks.

‘This has not been an easy decision. We have struggled with this emotionally and mentally.

‘We as a family will still be staying in Port St Mary as it now has our hearts.

‘From the bottom of my heart, I cannot thank each and every one of you enough.’

The closure comes after Torden Stores stopped providing postal services from July 1, citing concerns about the financial viability of continuing to operate the counter.

The store said the postal system was ‘not conducive’ to running the service and claimed transactions paid for by card had resulted in it losing money.

It also said that, during the previous month, it had ‘actually paid the Isle of Man Post Office for the service’.

‘Customers paying by card is perfectly acceptable, but it means we lose money every time,’ the store said earlier this month.

‘Us paying the Post Office is not a business plan that any sane person can continue.

‘If we are forced into continuing, then sadly it will be a case of Torden Stores closing permanently.’

In May, Post Office bosses revealed they were seeking expressions of interest from businesses in Foxdale, Jurby and central Onchan to host postal services from their premises - but Port St Mary was not included.

At the time, Isle of Man Post Office chairman Stu Peters MHK said: ‘I would like to place on record our sincere thanks to the outgoing retailers who have acted as Sub Postmasters providing Post Office services to customers in their communities.’

Torden Stores had also previously voiced frustration over a ‘lack of footfall’ during the Bus Vannin strikes in March, saying the disruption had affected its regular customers.

A spokesperson said at the time: ‘It is roughly a third of our usual takings per day, mostly because regular customers cannot make the trip from Port Erin, Colby, Castletown and other surrounding areas.’