TWO well-know but very different businesses in one of the area's busiest high streets have closed.

Furniture and gift shop Horsfall & Wright, in Wanstead High Street, has shut up shop and is set to move to a new premises, while Andrews Builders' Merchants, in Woodbine Place, has closed its doors for the last time.

Manager of Horsfall and Wright, Steve Horsfall, confirmed that the shop would be expanding its business and would be moving to a new location outside London, but its customers in Redbridge would be able to continue buying its wares via their online store.

Meanwhile, Andrews Builders' Merchants has closed after more than half a century serving local people and tradesmen.

Wanstead Society member Billie Figg said the shop would be sorely missed, given the reputation the company had built up over so many years of trading.

Mrs Figg said: “I'll be sad to see it go, as they sold just about everything in there.

“And the chap who ran it, Brian Jobber, was so helpful and always very pleasant to his customers. If he didn't have what you wanted, which wasn't very often, then he'd always make an effort to get it for you”