Newsagent who fought thief shuts after 50 years
June Turner, 89, is closing her Hanley shop, which hit the headlines when she fended off a thief.
A newsagent's that gained national attention in 2019 when its elderly proprietor fended off a robber with her walking stick is closing its doors after five decades, attributing the decision to evolving consumer habits.
Turner's Newsagents, located on Lichfield Street in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, has served its local community with newspapers and groceries since January 1975.
Founder June Turner, 89, expressed her sadness at the closure, despite her 4:00 AM daily alarm. "We've got to go sometime haven't we?" she remarked, adding, "It's been marvellous."
Her son, Alan Turner, who co-manages the business, shared, "I started when I was 13 as a paper boy here before we had the business, and I'm still doing papers now. I think I must be the oldest newspaper boy in the country!"
June Turner recounted the 2019 incident where a homeless thief, wrapped in a sleeping bag, confronted her, attempting to steal money from the till. The then 82-year-old, armed with a walking stick she received after a recent hip replacement, refused to comply. "I just hit him on his back and up his bum," she stated. "I just smacked him. He really had it." Her bravery earned her a £250 High Sheriff's award, and the thief was subsequently imprisoned.
The decision to close stems from a decline in business during the Covid pandemic, from which the Turners say they never fully recovered. The local community had already diminished in 2004 when nearby homes were demolished for a regeneration project.
"All round here was full of terrace properties and it's taken 15 years before they've actually started rebuilding again and bringing the communities back," Alan Turner explained. "But habits have changed during that time, and it's just one of those things."
His son, James Turner, anticipates feeling "a bit emotional" when the shop's shutters come down for the final time on Friday. "On the whole it's been really good memories. We've had lots of fun and lots of laughs," he commented.
Customer Barry Clunn praised June, saying, "June has been outstanding, absolutely outstanding." When asked about Alan, he light-heartedly quipped, "Oh, he's just in the background. He just helps out."