A popular business support centre is set to end its high street presence at the end of the year – as it moves towards providing its services remotely instead.
Breakout announced ‘with a very heavy heart’ that it will shut the doors to its physical outlet in Long Melford on New Year’s Eve.
The multi-purpose enterprise has been in situ at Little St Mary’s since April 2021, offering a shared co-working space and various support services for other businesses, while also hosting occasional pop-ups.
Farley Boxall said the decision to close the physical store was her hardest in 10 years of business
However, co-founder Farley Boxall explained that the majority of these services can be delivered remotely, leading to the decision to change their business model.
“We will be closing our physical doors on December 31 as, unfortunately, a location on the high street is no longer viable for us,” Farley told SuffolkNews.
“The most important message is that we are still around, and anyone just needs to drop us a call, message or email to get in touch.
“We help hundreds of people each year with technology, to avoid scams and trust us with helping them with life admin, and we do not want them to think this service is lost.”
From the start of 2025, Breakout will continue to provide most of its existing services on an appointment basis, either working remotely or travelling directly to clients in the area.
These include business administration and book-keeping, website and social media assistance, IT training and technical support.
The only current services which will no longer be available from next year are printing, and the UPS access point.
To serve these needs, clients are encouraged to use the library for printing small items, or Named 4 You in Sudbury for anything larger, while there are also two UPS access points in the town.
The change in model comes after Breakout was recently honoured at a special reception at the House of Lords, after being named in the ‘SmallBiz100’ for 2024.
The reception was held in the lead-up to the annual Small Business Saturday campaign earlier this month.
Farley emphasised the importance of supporting small businesses, many of which she says have been struggling in recent times.
She added that the Breakout team will still be seen in and around Long Melford just as much as they are now, and will be contactable by phone or email.
“We have tried to stay open for as long as possible, as Breakout is such a success and we are hugely popular.
“But, at this point, the majority of our services can be completed remotely.
“To ensure we can still provide the same service, we are organising fixed timed drop-in sessions with organisations in the village, such as the library and the church.
“It has been the most difficult decision I have made in my 10 years of business, but the support from customers, residents and other businesses in the village has just been amazing.”
To contact Breakout, email hello@breakoutlongmelford.co.uk or telephone 01787 312064.