Much-loved London sports shop popular with David Beckham faces closure after 48 years

A sports store which has been a staple successful northbound London for astir 50 years is facing closure aft adjacent parking was removed. 

Euro Sports successful Swiss Cottage has seen a crisp alteration successful income aft parking spots were removed by Transport for London, proprietor Dip Patel, 67, told Metro. 

Mr Patel is pleading with TfL to travel to the country to talk with concern owners astir the concerning development.

Euro Sport opened successful 1976 and has since provided services to celebrated faces, ranging from Peter Crouch to David Beckham. Even Sir Paul McCartney and the Gallagher brothers person stopped by the shop. 

Despite their affluent past successful northbound London, concern is decreasing for the family-run business.

Mr Patel said: ‘They’ve taken each of the parking. There’s nary adjacent anymore. Our customers travel from rather acold due to the fact that our concern is rather specialist. We restring and customise rackets for tennis, squash, badminton. 

‘As soon arsenic the parking was removed past October, straightaway, concern dropped.’

He’s written to his section MP, Tulip Siddiq, who managed to get successful interaction with the transport authority, who reinstated parking briefly.

But past October, TfL returned and took distant the parking again – without consulting the businesses, Mr Patel claims.

‘They person ne'er travel to spot immoderate of the retailers and person immoderate benignant of treatment arsenic to what they’re going to bash oregon whatever.

‘These decisions are being made by radical who, if the businesses neglect and radical suffer their livelihoods, it makes nary difference. They get paid astatine the extremity of the day, truthful there’s nary accountability.’

Family-owned businesses are captious for a precocious street, Mr Patel said, due to the fact that they supply a work that can’t beryllium bought online.

He added: ‘People say, ‘Oh, I tin get it online’. But we supply a service, and what we supply present is not what you tin bargain online. You can’t bargain the experience. You request to travel in.’

A TfL spokesperson told Metro: ‘Improving autobus travel times is simply a cardinal portion of our Bus Action Plan to marque buses much attractive, encouraging much Londoners to take sustainable transport options, and helping to trim wide congestion. Bus lanes amended the autobus network’s reliability and assistance to trim travel times.

‘The changes to parking successful this determination were introduced successful 2020 arsenic portion of our proceedings to widen the hours of cognition of autobus lanes. To support the autobus lanes clear, immoderate parking bays affecting the cognition of the autobus lanes were suspended during the trial. 

‘There was wide enactment for the scheme, and, successful 2021 these changes became permanent. We regularly conscionable with section communities, and we would beryllium blessed to conscionable with Mr Patel regarding his comments.’

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