No racegoers, no profits: iconic Newmarket newsagent shuts due to Covid-19

An iconic Newmarket newsagent, used by the likes of John Gosden and Sir Mark Prescott, has closed due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The News Box, which has been in operation for at least the past 70 years, and is sited by the historic Clock Tower on the High Street, relied on racegoers coming to the town's two courses.

The shop, which opened at 5am to service the racing industry, supplied many copies of daily newspapers including the Racing Post to local hotels such as the Bedford Lodge and Heath Court Hotel, particularly during race weeks for visitors.

As these premises have been mostly closed this year and with no racegoers in sight until at least the Craven meeting next April, a vital income source has dried up.

Closed for good : News Box

Nicholas Nicholson, son of owner Mark, who was in charge of the day-to-day running of the shop before it closed suddenly on October 30, said: “We rely on the racing industry and people coming into the town to go racing for our profits.

"Because of Covid we have not had a proper racing season this year and people have not been able to come to the town to go racing meaning our revenue has more than halved. We did regularly supply the hotels with papers but they've been closed for most of the year so our profits have plummeted."

Over the years, the shop's clientele was like a who's who of the turf with trainers such as Sir Henry Cecil, Sir Michael Stoute, Harry Thomson Jones and Clive Brittain among the more famous calling in for a paper which in those days was The Sporting Life.

Even Lester Piggott and his fellow jockeys Joe Mercer, Bruce Raymond, Walter Swinburn and Greville Starkey were regularly seen in the shop which is just a couple of furlongs from the foot of the famous Warren Hill training grounds.

Among those upset by the closure is Prescott, who would regularly be there at shop's racing-industry friendly opening time of 5am.

Sir Mark Prescott : News Box regularCredit: Chris Bourchier

He said: "It's a great shame that the News Box is closing as it's always been a popular shop over the years and was run by jockey David East when I first came to town in the 60s. It was always a social shop and all the trainers and jockeys used it."

As to where Prescott will get his Racing Post from now on, he added: "You can get a paper at the BP garage next door but I'd rather give it to a local business so I've been going down to Sweets on the All Saints Road, which is thankfully still in operation if not as convenient."

Champion trainer John Gosden said: "It's a great shame the News Box paper shop has closed. It has been one of my favourite little shops since I first came here in the 70s. It's a sad loss to the racing industry and small businesses in the town."

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