Belgian chocolate shop closing after Easter

"I built the place by hand in a few weeks, it's grown to the stage it has and is very successful," said Vic Dowdey, who is closing his Belgian chocolate shop in Seaford.

Vic and his wife Karen Dowdey have owned Sweet Moments for 23 years but have decided now is the right time to retire.

But first, they have their busiest few weeks of the year coming up… Easter.

Karen, 64, said: "We work long hours making up the gifts, we're looking forward to putting our feet up after Easter Sunday."

Sweet Moments stocks more than 85 different chocolates imported directly from Belgium.

The shop is one of Seaford's oldest businesses in the High Street, but the couple say they hope someone else will pick up the reins.

They say they plan to retire in late April or early May.

Vic, 62, added: "We've come to that age that after being here 23 years, we need to retire. It would be nice if someone else took the business on.

"There has been interest, whether that comes to fruition I don't know."

Karen added: "A lot of people are congratulating us on retiring, a few people are sad because they wont be able to get the chocolates anymore unless someone takes over.

"Age creeps up very suddenly, so it wasn't really a hard decision. If you have a shop, there's lease agreements you need to sign and they're often for 10 years.

"That's quite a long commitment when you're approaching retirement."

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