Howe Enterprising is to close its retail outlet on Reid Street in January.

Owner Ruth Kempe said the closure of the shop, located in the LOM Building, would enable her to focus on her interior design business both in Bermuda and in London.

Howe Enterprising was first formed as an interior design consultancy in 1991, Mrs. Kempe said, and the first retail operation was opened in Bermuda House Lane, where bar and nightclub Square One is now located, in 1993.

Mrs. Kempe said she opened the Reid Street outlet in 2000 and that became the sole shop when the Bermuda House Lane operation closed in 2004.

Staffing shortages and efforts to reduce inventory after the closure of the Bermuda House Lane shop made the operation more complicated, Mrs. Kempe said, adding: “The retail figures did not justify the time being put in on it.

“I love retail and enjoyed the seven years. We had a great relationship with (LOM Building owners) the Lines family,” she said. “There has been a huge shift in the way people make purchases, especially online. It seems a speciality store is especially hard, because you always trying to change the look of the store and have to carry a lot of inventory.

She noted the store’s warehouse sales were always hugely successful.

Mrs. Kempe said Howe Enterprising will retain its design studio on the corner of Pitts Bay Road and Fairylands Road, and this will now be open on a daily basis and will carry samples and display items for special orders. For the same reason, the company will keep its warehouse.

“One reason I am not selling the retail business is in order to retain our relationships with design suppliers and customers can make appointments to make purchases,” she said.