BUSINESS rates have been blamed for the planned closure of a well-known store in Tiverton with the loss of 25 jobs.
Rainbow will close its doors in April after 16 years at Lowman Way. The company's Honiton branch is also due to close, taking the total number of redundancies to 35.
Customers will still be able to visit branches in Exmouth, Seaton and Lyme Regis.
Owner Ralph White said increased business rates had meant the Tiverton shop was no longer viable.
He said: "We've had an increase of 600 per cent which is absolutely ridiculous – the costs have just gone up and up.
"It's a very difficult fact of life but when a business becomes not viable, it's got to go.
"There are some people I've employed for 25 years, so it's very difficult."
He added: "We're in negotiations and talking to a number of national businesses about renting the site."
