A crafts drinks retailer has become the latest business to close in a Deeside town.
ABV Craft Drinks in Banchory will shut its doors at the end of the month, just a year after opening.
The closure is the latest blow for the town’s High Street, with a third of the units empty as retailers battle against online shopping and business rates.
The shop, which sells craft beers, wine, whisky and over 125 gins, is run by the owners of Deeside Distillery and Dusk Bar in Aberdeen.
There will be no redundancies, as manager Mark Rennie was the only employee.
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And due to the popularity of the products on offer, particularly gin, the team is preparing to launch a new online shop.
A spokeswoman for ABV said: “We are sad to have made the decision to close ABV Craft Drinks.
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“Following a review of sales and the general retail landscape in Banchory including the decline in ‘high street shopping’, it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep the shop profitable.
“We really appreciate the support all our wonderful customers have given us over the past 12 months and know the shop was very well received within the community and visitors to the town.
“From the feedback of customers and our own research, we know there is a big demand from people looking for all types of gin so we are excited to be have just finished developing a platform for our online ‘Scottish Gin Shop’ which will be launched soon.
“This will allow gin lovers from all over the country to purchase the vast selection of stock ABV currently offers.”
A closing down sale is now under way, with the final day of trading March 31.
Local councillor Ann Ross and Business Gateway organised a workshop in the town last month in an effort to generate ideas for supporting existing businesses and starting new enterprises.
She said Banchory needs a “unique selling point” to bring people back to local businesses.
