A HISTORIC bakery's shop will close its doors today after 140 years of trading at the same village site.

Moores Biscuits is closing its store in Morcombelake as it moves the bulk of its services online.

The shop has been operating since 1880, serving a wide range of sweet biscuits, bread, cakes, granola and the famous 'Dorset Knob'. It is still run by the Moores family to this day.

The company moved most of its manufacturing operations to a second location on St Andrews Road in Bridport in 2007 as bosses didn't believe the Morcombelake site was suitable for the 21st century.

The closure of the shop will mean the firm will be cutting its ties with the village where it was first established.

There are no current plans for the village site as yet.

In a letter to customers, partners described running the two sites as 'a burden' on its small management team and 'a drain on resources'.

The company plans to open a shop at its Bridport site in 2021.

Sue Rice, who has been the shopkeeper at the Morcombelake site for 23 years, has decided to retire and it is that decision which has led to the company's partners deciding to close the store.

David Winship, a partner of Moores, said: "With Sue retiring we thought the timing was right to lead the company in a different direction. We have been planning on closing the shop for a while and when she announced her retirement we thought it was probably the right time to do it.

"All of our main activity and manufacturing comes from the Bridport site and we want to simplify operations. Rather than try to run the two sites, we’re trying to make life easier for ourselves.

"It is sad after so many years, but we believe it is a necessary change."

The bakery has been using a paper catalogue order system and is making the move online to move with the times.

Mr Winship added: "As retailing moves more and more to online, we have to go with the market. To resist would be like hiding our heads in the sand.

"For us, it is progress – others may not see it as progress but we do."

Since opening the second site in Bridport, only around a quarter of the Morcombelake building has been used for baking and retailing and the remaining space has been empty and has fallen into disrepair.

For the last few years the company has also seen a decline in shop sales.

Moores has plans to set up a small shop connected to the Bridport manufacturing site, which it hopes will be ready to open by Easter.