Pinks Parlour in Bognor Regis has announced the immediate closure of its popular ice cream venue after more than seven years in business.
The owners said rising running costs and other pressures affecting the location had left them with no choice but to shut the parlour indefinitely.
In a statement published on Facebook, they thanked customers for helping turn the business into a welcoming place where families and friends could meet and make memories.
They said: “This is a post we never thought we’d have to put out and before we start we want to thank every single one of you for your custom, your loyalty, your kindness and your dedication to making Pinks Parlour a vibrant space that was inviting to all.”
The owners said the parlour had become a safe and inclusive venue during its seven years of trading.
They added: “We know that over the last 7 and a bit years the parlour has become a place you choose to create memories in, you can bring your friends and family and know you are safe and welcome regardless of what might be going on in your lives.”
The closure takes effect immediately.
The statement continued: “We have done everything in our power to avoid this but with so many outside factors negatively impacting our location and running costs we can no longer keep the doors open.”
The owners also paid tribute to current and former members of staff who helped build the business.
“We want to take this opportunity to thanks our incredibly hard working team current and past who have helped us to deliver an experience that is second to none,” they said.
The closure comes during the school summer holidays and amid a period of prolonged hot weather.
The owners said: “We are absolutely heartbroken to be having to shut up shop in the summer holidays in the middle of the best summer we have had for 50 years. But as we say we have no other choice.”
Despite the closure of the Bognor Regis parlour, the company’s ice cream van will continue to operate at Aldingbourne Country Centre throughout the summer holidays.
Pinks Parlour gelato will also remain available through the business’s existing stockists.
The owners said they hoped the closure could eventually lead to a new direction for the brand.
They added: “We feel hopeful that this situation will give us the opportunity to develop Pinks Parlour into something different and potentially even better! So watch this space and thank you again to every single one of you.”
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