CUSTOMERS have emptied a shop of its stock in less than a month.

Shopkeeper Val Byles said she had seen more shoppers since she launched her closing down sale than she had for months.

"People are buying the stands from under my feet," she said.

"The only thing not sold is the carpet and they'd probably buy that as well if they could."

Over the past few weeks shoppers have bought everything from powdered starch to bread bins - in bulk.

But as Wares in Princess Street closed yesterday (Tuesday) there was little left on the shelves.

"It looks so empty now," she said.

Mrs Byles, who lives in Stocks Lane, Over Peover, announced her decision to leave Knutsford in July because the shop had not made enough money - and the rent was due to increase to £24,500 a year.

She told the Guardian that she had also had to pay 10 part-time staff, £700 business rates each month and other company bills.

The business' overheads, she said, amounted to about £100,000 a year.

On Monday Mrs Byles said the increase in customers had not made her think twice about her decision to close the shop. "The overheads were just so high," she said. "Rents here are too high for the footfall.

"If it was as busy as Northwich then there wouldn't be a problem."

Mrs Byles said she had no plans to reopen her business in a smaller shop in Knutsford.

But she will continue to serve her online customers through a website.