AN INDEPENDENT store was forced to close its doors for good due to the “poor state of high street retail”.

Ninja Game Den in London Road, Brighton was open seven days a week and sold video games “from every era”.

But it shut down on Wednesday after its owners had an “emergency discussion” with their solicitor.

A sign on the front of the store stated: “As some of you may know, we have been struggling for some time due to being unable to adapt to the changing market conditions and also the general poor state of high street retail – as well as the economy overall.

“After discussions with our various business advisers, it was realised that we are no longer able to meet our overall financial obligations.

“Therefore we have been forced to make the difficult decision to close our shop with immediate effect and will no longer be open for business.

“We would like to say many thanks for all your continued support and custom, and also apologise for the manner in which it has had to end.”

The stores’ owners also posted on the shop’s social media account to alert loyal customers to the closure.

On Thursday he said: “As some of you may have noticed yesterday we were unexpectedly, and without notice or signage, not open.

“This was because of an emergency discussion we had to have with our solicitor and, subsequently, another adviser of ours.

“As many of you know we have been struggling for quite some time now and, despite our continued best efforts and hopes for brighter days to return once again, the result of these meetings was that we have had to close with immediate effect.

“We have of course been managing to get by in the general operating of the shop but with the true picture of our overall financial situation coming fully to light now, it has unfortunately been fully realised that every day we are open is simply making our overall situation worse.

“We would obviously like to thank you all for your continued support and custom over all the time you have known us and our shop.

“We have always tried to be that honest, transparent, local old school game shop we felt could survive through (and was doing so) changing market conditions and trends.

“But with both the restrictions of (it) just (being) the two (of us) and more damagingly the sharp worsening of the general state of retail, as experienced by virtually everyone in the physical world of retail, we have simply not been able to withstand the continued hits and ever-worsening state of all this.

“At the moment it is very difficult for us to confirm or commit to anything that will happen from here.

“Many, many things need to be sorted and covered.

“So, for now, please give us your patience and understanding and rest assured we will appraise you of what will happen next.

“Many thanks again, Ninja Game Den.”