A STATIONERY firm will be making its last sale in Witney town centre this month as it sets to close down the shop after 50 years.

Margaret L Johnson (MLJ) office supplies in Corn Street will be the second shop to close in Witney in the space of two months, as staff admit there has been a large fall in footfall during the past few years. All staff will instead be moving to the company warehouse in the Deer Park estate, where they will operate mostly online.

Owner Stuart Cope said: "Footfall has massively dropped since Marriotts Walk opened in 2009. It dropped 38 per cent. The centre of town is just not here.

"When I go back all those years Corn Street had a butchers, a bakers, a greengrocers, travel agents, a gun shop - all sorts of things.

"Now there are only three types of business; hair and beauty, restaurants and estate agents.

"People only come here if they want something specific. The whole dynamic of the street has changed."

Mr Cope, 46, took over the business in 1990 from his father Charles who still works with him today. His grandmother originally worked for Margaret Johnson, who first owned the business.

He added: "You just have to get on with it. We are prepared for the future, and we're changing to adapt to it.

"We know that people use the internet more, I do it too."

Earlier this year also saw the closure of High Street shop Topsport after 18 years, as owner Steve Handscombe said he was being hit hard by internet competition.

The 72-year-old called time on his Witney branch, but kept open his other sport shops in Kidlington, Thame and Abingdon.

He said he thought independents were being pushed out slowly by big chain stores and booming online businesses.

And the internet is where MLJ is next turning to, as staff plan to offer all their usual services online, but just on a larger scale.

Sales manager at MLJ Jo Smith said: "We have a warehouse in Range Road in Witney and we'll be continuing there doing more corporate stationery, business to business.

"We'll still be able to print for people but it will be larger prints, you can't just pop in and get a copy done anymore."

The company has just the one shop in Corn Street and a warehouse in Range Road. All 16 staff will be staying on except for one temporary shop worker.

Ms Smith said: "We had a lady retire in October who had been working in the shop for the past 10 years and was a familiar face.

"So that got us thinking about closing as well.

"It's taken a long time to come to this decision, it's not one that happened overnight.

"Personally I live in Witney and if I come into town I go to the new shops. I don't really walk this way."

Rumours have also been spreading on social media site Facebook in the past week about the future of The Old Studio Coffee House in High Street.

There was talk it could be closing down, but a member of staff at the shop confirmed it was due to be bought by somebody new.

She added that no other details were available yet as it was very early days.

MLJ will be closing on March 30 and operating out of the warehouse in Range Road.