It would be interesting to know if there were any interested parties since these premises have been vacant. There are a lot of assumptions with no basis in reality on these threads; evil landlords, rising rents etc.

Almost any shop is better than an empty one. If those newsagents stocked products that locals want, then they have nothing to worry about. If they choose to continue as they do, then they probably won't survive beyond the charity of locals who believe they are supporting local business.

As nice as the The White Wood Shop was to look at, I'm not surprised it closed down either. With such nice furniture, they should have set up a website and extended the reach of their business. Have to keep up with the times really.