Traders in Trowbridge have spoken of their disappointment at Knees’ move, with many wondering what will take its place.

Julia Tarrant, manager at Clarks Shoes, over the road from HJ Knee in Fore Street, said: “I’m not happy about it. It’s more that there is not a lot in the town centre any more other than coffee shops.

“It’s taking all of the trade out of the town centre and if nothing goes in there it will just be an empty space and I just don’t see what’s going to go in there. More people will start to shop out of the centre and that’s bad for us.

“We have seen more trade coming through since the cinema opened, but with Knees going it’s going to have a big impact on the footfall.”

Many traders were speculating about what could take the place of Knees, which has a department store and electrical superstore, with Marks & Spencer and Debenhams preferred options.

Lindsay Kotevski, owner of gift and card shop Etc Etc, said: “I wasn’t surprised, but it is a shock for the town centre. It’s very much a sign of the times and Knees needed to do something to keep up.

“It’s desperately, desperately sad and it’s certainly not going to help the town centre.

Sally Pinto, owner of Intermezzo Express in The Shires, said: “It’s very sad news. It’s a huge place and so prominent in the town and I wonder what will now be in its place.

“Knees is a staple of Trowbridge, as it’s been here for so long and is part of the fabric of the town, so it’s a complete shock. The town centre will struggle if it’s left empty and I will probably lose some good customers as a result.”

Tracy Parker, owner of Leykers Coffee Central, said: “It really will be a shame to lose them. It’s a nice big unit, so if we could get something good in its place then it could be a benefit to the town.”

Manager of Timpson Sheri O’Reilly said: “It really is a big shame, I often like to shop there myself. It will leave a big hole in the town and I just hope something good replaces it.”

And Natalie Carpenter, who runs Absolutely Fabulous Flowers, added: “We often send people to Knees for bits that we don’t have, so it’s really a massive shock to see it go.

“Knees serves a lot of older people and I don’t know whether they will travel to outside of the town centre to use it.”