"Only £500 in two years" forces Dorchester business to close

Tim Stevens is the owner of zero waste shop The Healthy Weigh in Cornhill, Dorchester.

The shop, which is stocked with store cupboard staples with zero plastic, opened in the county town in April of this year.

Despite starting his business two years ago in Sherborne and then moving to a busy section of Dorchester town centre, Tim has not been able to make his "passion" profitable.

Read more: High street cheese deli can now sell alcohol to compliment tasting events

"It's just not sustainable," said Mr Stevens, "the shop pays for itself, but it doesn't pay me."

"I have earned £500 in two years, nobody can live on that.

"It's a great shame, this is my passion, the whole ethos of the shop; saving plastic, saving waste and offering people what they want in the quantities they want.

"It has been a hard decision to make."

The Healthy Weigh first opened in Dorchester town centre on April 2, 2022.

It will be closing its doors for the final time on December 24.

The aim was to give customers a more sustainable option with refill zones and reusable packaging.

The shop also aimed to use local suppliers and organic products, with gluten free and vegan options front and centre.

His sustainable dream soon became unsustainable as a business due to a lack of sales.

Mr Stevens puts that down to a change in the ways people shop, with less casual browsing to find new independent shops and the convenience of all-in-one food shopping.

He said: “If people are walking around a supermarket and they can see some cheap pasta, they’ll get it there.

“It’s that all in one convenience.

“I often still get people asking how long I have been here.

“People don’t browse anymore, they come for a purpose, or they know where they need to go already, that’s where I feel there has been a change in the high street.”

Dorchester Councillor Richard Biggs said he was sad to see the shop go.

Cllr Biggs said: "I shop there regularly, it's a real shame, it is the sort of thing we should be doing more and trying to be more sustainable, it's just shame not enough people were using it.

Read more: Hair salon to shut branch after 14 years as the industry faces a staffing crisis

"It is quite shocking he has made so little profit

"People complain about shops closing down in the town and yet they are all doing it online.

"It's that convenience, people are so used to shopping in supermarkets or online and rents and support for small businesses are so bad it makes it even more difficult.

"It is so sad he couldn't make it work."

The zero-waste journey may be over for The Healthy Weigh but there remains local businesses like Bare Necessities in Wareham and Poole.

Read more: WATCH: Time-lapse footage captures creation of Poole's Gosse mural

Tim said: "I think there is a need for a shop like this in every town.

"The frustrating thing for me is that people come in and say they love the idea and the ethos and then they walk out without buying anything.

"They applaud it but dont support it."

Tim does have a regular customer base who come in and support the business.

To them Tim said: “Thank you.

“They have helped me through a tough time, not just for the shop, but for me personally."