Ecotopia Leeds closure: Eco shop founder's emotional farewell to customers as Central Arcade branch shuts

Specialising in whole foods and eco-friendly produce, the business was set up by twin sisters Michelle Arthur and Sam Newton. They started out with a city centre shop in the Central Arcade five years ago and opened a second site in Bramley Shopping Centre back in August 2021, running the two locations alongside their website.

The venture was not without its challenges though, with Michelle telling the Yorkshire Evening Post last summer that the pair had not been making enough money to cover the running costs of the business. She said rising costs and changes to shopping habits as a result of the pandemic were making it harder than ever for independent traders to survive.

Michelle warned at the time that if customers did not continue to use the shops then there was a chance they could be forced to close. Her warning came to fruition on April 4 when sister Sam announced that the Central Arcade shop would cease trading immediately.

Posting about the “sudden closure” on Ecotopia’s Facebook page, Sam said they had been advised to close the city centre branch as soon as possible but the Bramley store and website would continue to operate. She said: “I want to use this time to say a big thank you and farewell to all our Arcade customers. This will be the last socials post from me and as I'm not needed to help run Bramley, I won't see any more customers. I'll be in the background as and when I'm needed, but I'll mainly be moving on to other things, and leaving the business in the capable hands of my sister Michelle and her partner Dan.

"This is the end of an era for me, and as sad as it may be, I will no doubt feel a massive sense of relief as the pressures of running a small business are lifted. I commend anyone and everyone that chooses to take the leap into running their own business. It's not for the faint of heart. You can't switch off even after business hours. We have to watch online ordering, research stock, prepare social media posts, reply to emails, admin admin admin, worry worry worry! ‍After closing day, I will be cherishing the extra time I can give to my son, and hopefully be able to put my phone down a lot more often! Thank you for the opportunity you gave me, thank you for your caring hearts, thank you for thinking of the planet when choosing where you shop.”

The shop’s departure adds to the number of empty units in the arcade, which sits between Briggate and Central Road. Two other ground floor units – including the prominent space formerly occupied by sandwich shop Meal Deal – are currently being advertised for lease. Other departures from the arcade include the King Koby Chop Shop barbers and its doughnut shop Defiance Donuts.