Residents have been told the shop in London Road is expected to shut in January.
Local history group Headington Heritage expressed its sadness at the loss of the facility in a public statement on Tuesday (December 10).
This said: “Very sad to hear Fairtrade is closing soon as soon as stocks run out. It is a great store perfect for gifts.
“It seems nothing can save Headington shops.
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“The statement to me was it would close early January or when stocks run out.
“It was looking rather forlorn today with not much left.”
The retail unit at 104 London Road is now being advertised online for rent and the advert says: “Prime position in London Road; neighbouring occupiers include Holland and Barrett, Card Factory, Boots, Sainsburys, Tesco, Caffe Nero.”
The premises are being advertised for rent at £28,500 a year.
In 2023, customers who like to buy Fairtrade goods were reminded they could shop at the branch in Headington.
The Fairtrade shop in Cornmarket, in Oxford city centre, which had been running for 20 years, closed in 2023 due to a reduction in footfall.
(Image: LoopNet) The shop was located in the basement of a building next to St Michael at the North Gate church.
Dave Brown, a volunteer at the Fairtrade shop in London Road, Headington, said at the time: “The cause of Fairtrade in Oxford (a Fairtrade city since 2004) continues to thrive through our Headington Fairtrade shop in London Road, which has been trading since 2010.
“I am one of a team of volunteers who help run this attractive shop, selling primarily a wide range of attractive gift products produced by small suppliers overseas who are paid a fair price for their labours by registered Fairtrade importers.
“The shop has recently undergone a refurbishment, and there are new product ranges including toys for younger children.”
Directors of the Cornmarket shop took the decision to close it “with heavy hearts” after sales and footfall failed to return to pre-pandemic levels.
Kate Goodacre, director, of Oxford Fairtrade Cooperative Ltd, said at the time she and her fellow directors were frustrated that circumstances forced them to close a shop which worked so well for 20 years.
She added: “The closure comes at at a time when fair trade is needed as urgently as ever, when shoppers are increasingly keen to buy ethical and sustainable goods, and when we have a clientele of passionately loyal customers who are heart-broken to see us go.
“Some of the challenges of the past two to three years – like Covid and inflation – are of course challenges on a national scale, but there’s a chance that we could have weathered these if only local circumstances had been more favourable.”
The Fairtrade organisation has been asked for comment about the Headington shop.
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About the author
Andy is the Trade and Tourism reporter for the Oxford Mail and you can sign up to his newsletters for free here.
He joined the team more than 20 years ago and he covers community news across Oxfordshire.
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