A MAGAZINE shop has announced its closure after seven years of business.

Magazine Brighton will close permanently on April 2 due to “personal reasons”.

Located on Trafalgar Street, the specialised magazine shop opened in 2015 and has been running for seven years.

Store owner Martin Skelton shared the “bittersweet” news in a statement released on social media.

“For personal reasons, we'll be closing our doors on the April 2, 2022, but until then we'll be welcoming you in as usual,” he said.

“We know that everything changes and that this is simply another small version of that.

“We have loved every minute of having our shop and a large part of that is the way you and many others have supported us both online and in-store with your enthusiasm, purchases, recommendations and your good wishes.

“We are so grateful to you.”

The store will remain open as usual until April 2.

The Argus: Magazine Brighton owner Martin Skelton Magazine Brighton owner Martin Skelton

“For now though, there will be no winding down, we’ll do that through April,” Martin added.

“We’ll be thanking everyone over the coming weeks. Please come and see us.

“As this chapter comes to a close, we hope you can continue to support the creatives who have given their love and time to produce the wonderful magazines we have been lucky enough to show and sell.”

Martin also encouraged those with gift vouchers to spend them before April 2, and those with pre-paid orders to collect them before the store closes.

“This would help us hugely,” he said. “With our love and many thanks, Martin, Elise, Elsa and Jean.”

In an interview after the opening of Magazine Brighton in January 2015, Martin said he has been passionate about print since he was a child, producing his own paper, the Medway Gazette, when he was nine and playing the newspaper based board game Scoop.

“It is something I have wanted to do for about 40 years,” he said.

“You have people selling great baked bread instead of supermarket stuff, pubs with microbreweries, and shops like Resident where half their stock is vinyl – I think the same is happening for magazines.

“When you come home and sit down, you get the feel of the magazine, the smell and the picture quality. You have that artisan thing creeping in and our mantra is if it is available in WH Smith we do not sell it.”