An ice cream stall which has been serving customers at Norwich Market for almost 90 years has shut up shop over changes to its lease agreement.
Award-winning ice cream producer, Lakenham Creamery, has officially closed its shutters to its market stall, where it has been operating since 1937.
The company said it felt the decision to close the stand, known as Stall 8, had been "forced" as a result of changes to its lease agreement, which meant it must trade throughout the year and pay 15 per cent more rent.
Norwich City Council has however said the lease offer "was the same as the previous five-year lease".
"Unfortunately the cost of the rent, and staffing costs, it just wouldn't be viable," Lakenham Creamery manager Damian Hunt said, the BBC reports.
The creamery had been operating at Norwich Market since 1937
|FACEBOOK/LAKENHAM CREAMERY
"I feel like it's a decision that's been forced upon us.
"There is normally a rent increase annually - this one is quite big - and [the council] haven't given an explanation of why we would have to open all year round. Perhaps it's because we are at the front."
In a post to social media, the ice cream seller said it was the "end of an era" and thanked customers for their support.
"This hasn’t been an easy decision — far from it — but due to recent changes in our lease and very little support from the council, we’ve sadly been left with no other option," the post read.
"We want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported us over the years.
"When this season began, we never imagined it would be our last. The Norwich Market will remain a massive part of our history. 1937 - 2025. The end of an era."
Norwich City Council said it was "very sorry Lakenham Creamery has decided to leave the market".
"We certainly have not forced them out of their stall," a spokesman said.
"The new lease offer was the same as the previous five-year lease which had a condition of yearly trading which they no longer, unfortunately, wanted to commit to.
“As a landlord, we regularly review rents by assessing the open market. Stall demand remains strong, and vacancies are consistently low, which reflects the continued appeal of the market.
“In the meantime, we will continue to work with traders and the wider community to make sure our magical medieval market is one of the best not only in England but Europe.”
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Before it had a permanent stall on the market, the creamery would serve ice cream from two trailers
|FACEBOOK/LAKENHAM CREAMERY
Lakenham Creamery, formerly known as Aldous Ices, was established in Christmas Aldous in 1921.
Before it had a permanent stall on the market, the company would serve scoops of either vanilla or strawberry ice cream from two trailers.
The ice cream maker introduced its Norfolk County Range in the 1980s, which has since gone on to win several Great Taste Awards.
Despite the market stall closure, the company has reassured customers that it will carry on producing both its Aldous and Norfolk County Ice Creams in retail tubs, available to purchase from its factory shop on Trafalgar Street, Norwich.