End of an Era: St Neots Shoe Shop Allen Phillips to Close After More Than 60 Years

A much-loved St Neots High Street shoe shop is preparing to close its doors for the final time. Independent retailer Allen Phillips will shut once remaining stock is sold, bringing to an end more than a century of High Street retailing by the Huckle family.

A familiar fixture of St Neots High Street for more than six decades is set to disappear as independent shoe retailer Allen Phillips prepares to close for good.

Closing down signs have appeared in the shop windows as owner Tony Huckle begins the final months of trading before retiring after nearly three decades running the business.

For generations of local families, Allen Phillips has been the place where children were fitted for their first school shoes. The store itself once formed part of the town’s well-known Barrett’s department store, linking it to an even longer history of retail in the town.

When the doors finally close, it will mark the end of more than 100 years of High Street retailing for the Huckle family.

Speaking to Nigel Pauley on Black Cat Radio’s Your Voice programme, Mr Huckle explained that the family connection to St Neots retail goes back to the 19th century.

“My grandfather started working for Barrett’s in 1890 and spent his entire working life there,” he said. “My father and my uncle did the same.”

Mr Huckle himself has run Allen Phillips for the last 29 years, but says the time has come to step away.

“We don’t have a definite date for closure but expect it will be in a few months,” he said. “We still have stock to sell and that will take a while.”

He admitted the final day will be emotional after such a long family association with the High Street.

“The whole retail scene is changing and unfortunately St Neots is suffering as a result,” he said.

“It’s all online now. You’ve got retail parks with free parking and a big range of stores. The town centre has become a different kind of offering and that doesn’t make things any easier.”

The closure follows the loss of several long-standing High Street names in recent years, including Barrett’s, Beales department store, and furniture retailer Brittain’s, which traded in the town for more than a century.

Mr Huckle believes the changes reflect wider shifts in how people shop.

“Once you start losing some of the big stores it ceases to have enough pull to draw people into the town centre for shopping,” he said.

He praised efforts to improve the town centre, including the Market Square redevelopment, but believes new ideas will be needed to help revitalise High Street shopping.

Although Allen Phillips was not his full-time occupation, Mr Huckle says retirement will give him more time to focus on charitable work he helps administer, travel, and “keep the garden in order.”

🎧 Listen to this clip:-

🎧 You can hear the full interview with Tony Huckle on the Your Voice Listen Again service at BlackCatRadio.org.