By Fiona Dobie

Copyright falkirkherald

Serafini Retail, the Sony Centre in Galloway Court, will close on Saturday, September 20 after 22 years. The store opened as a Sony Centre in 2003 as part of the Graham Robertson Electrical group of companies before changing hands in 2013 when Graham decided to exit retail. Dean Serafini, who had been Graham’s retail divisional manager took over as owner in the spring of 2013 and has operated the business since then. Despite a decade of sales growth, spiralling costs and an increasing shift towards online shopping have made the last three years increasingly challenging for the business, leading to a point where it has become too difficult to continue without significant new investment and the risks that would bring. Earlier this year, the decision was taken that a managed closure represented the most sensible option. The company has since announced it will close for the last time at 4pm on Saturday, September 20 and it will not be possible to continue trading online. A final clearance sale is already underway as the company looks to sell through all remaining stock together with all fixtures and fittings that remain on site. Speaking this week ahead of the closure, Dean said: “I’ve had so many conversations over the last few weeks about why we’re closing that I’ve lost count. “The harsh reality is that while our sales have been declining for the last three years, we’ve been unable to find a formula to reverse that trend and give the business the opportunity to thrive again. “Against that backdrop, our operating costs have continued to increase, not least the cost of employing a talented team and rewarding them fairly. “The competition is more aggressive than ever with online retailers slashing prices as they compete for business against each other, many of our suppliers have also adopted a strategy of selling direct to consumers, attempting to cut traditional retailers out of the loop completely. “While it’s sad to be closing, it’s now an inevitability as it’s become almost impossible to trade profitably. “Calling time on the business now allows us to do so in a dignified manner having fulfilled our commitments to our customers. I will miss the many and varied conversations with our customers but it is absolutely time to move on.” Dean said that most of the team have already secured new roles outside of retail, while both Alan and himself are looking forward to a break before considering their own next moves.