After 12 years of catering for brides in the south of England, bridalwear shop owner Christine Marchant has made the tough decision to close her boutique and retire from retail. She shared the following statement with us:

“It is with a heavy heart and great sadness that I have to inform you of my decision to hang up my veil and retire from retailing. The company will remain trading in the wholesale sector.

“Following a sudden close bereavement and the fact that retirement is no longer on the distant horizon, I felt the need to evaluate my work/life balance. The lease on White Mischief has expired and in the best interest of my family to commit to a further lease on the premises is not an option.

“I have had several interested buyers for the business, but none so far have come to fruition and I have now reached the time when a decision has to be made.

“Should I not be able to find a suitable person to take over the business, I plan to close at the end of January having fulfilled the majority of our orders and as the company remains trading, will finalise the orders after this date.

“It’s been a difficult decision to make, especially as I have a fabulous team who in the main have been with me in the shop since we opened – but I would like to reduce my workload to concentrate on my other business interests.

“White Mischief opened in 2005 and quickly became one of the premier and most popular bridals boutiques in the South of England and should we be unable find a new owner, I will be extremely sad to see our efforts disappear with closure.

“A new owner taking over the business, may not wish to purchase all of our stock therefore we will be holding a Retirement Sale commencing at the beginning of November.

“It may be the end of an era for us all. We have dressed thousands of brides over the years and we’re taking away hundreds of stories of the fun in store with our customers, their families and friends, the sadness of those we have lost and the hundreds of babies that have proudly been presented to us.

“We shall sorely miss this interaction but time stands still for no-one.”

Christine will remain trading in the wholesale section and continue in her capacity handling Augusta Jones in the UK.

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