Chicken and Frog Bookshop Announces Closure

The Chicken and Frog bookshop has announced it will close after fourteen years and leave Brentwood town centre in January.

By Career Ahead AI · Brentwood — AI-assisted, fact-verified against cited sources. Readers should verify key facts.

The owner describes rising costs

Natasha Radford, the shop’s owner, is also known as “Mrs Chicken”. She said she had been busy since announcing the closure. Radford is 53, and the announcement brings an end to the bookshop’s run in Brentwood. Her account of the business includes higher bills for electricity and a sharp rise in annual business rates, alongside the changing cost of buying books to sell.^¹

One example of the book trade’s pricing is a title Radford typically bought in for £4.05 and sold for £6.99. Those are the purchase cost and the shop’s selling price for the same book. The figures show the difference between what the shop paid to acquire that title and the price charged to a customer; they do not, on their own, describe the shop’s overall costs or earnings.^¹

Electricity and business rates rose Radford said her electricity bills had tripled since the shop first opened.

Electricity and business rates rose

Radford said her electricity bills had tripled since the shop first opened. The comparison is between the bills now and those at the start of the business. Electricity is one of the recurring costs she described, separate from the prices paid to stock books and from the business rates charged annually. Her account puts a figure on how the cost of keeping the shop supplied with power changed over its time in business.^¹

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The annual business-rates bill also increased: it was £2,868 in 2024 and reached £8,435 this year. These are the amounts Radford paid each year, rather than the value of the property used to assess rates. The two figures show the rise in her stated annual charge over that period. The change in business rates is distinct from the increase she described in electricity bills.^¹

The relief discount and rates threshold changed

The government reduced its temporary business-rates relief discount from 75% to 40% in April 2025. The discount had offered a reduction in the rates charge; the change lowered the level of that relief. The policy shift is separate from Radford’s stated bill figures, but it forms part of the rates backdrop for businesses. Her own annual payments and the government’s discount are different parts of the same cost picture.^¹

An HM Treasury spokesperson said the autumn Budget gave High Street businesses “more breathing space”. The spokesperson also said traders would pay business rates only once their rateable value reached £18,000, up from £12,000. Rateable value is the threshold named in that policy statement; it is not the annual bill amount Radford gave for her shop. The spokesperson’s comments set out the government’s position on the change.^¹

Customers describe the shop’s community role

The Treasury spokesperson acknowledged that some areas were “more expensive than others”. They added that rental value was a “commercial decision” between landlords and businesses. Those comments address differences in local costs and the relationship between a business and its landlord. They do not give a figure for the bookshop’s rent, or state what rent Radford paid, so the details of that cost remain separate from the rates and electricity figures she described.^¹

Stephanie, a 36-year-old teacher, described the shop as an “incredible haven” of “knowledge, support and community”. She said Radford and her husband treated everyone who came into the shop as a close friend. Her comments describe the value customers associated with the bookshop beyond the books it sold. The account offers a customer’s perspective on the place the business held in the community as it prepares to leave Brentwood town centre.^¹

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An HM Treasury spokesperson said the autumn Budget gave High Street businesses “more breathing space”.

Watch Fixed Costs Before You Commit

If you run or plan to run a small shop, the story shows how fixed costs can shift under you. Electricity bills tripled since the shop opened, and annual business rates rose from £2,868 in 2024 to £8,435 this year. Before you sign a lease or expand, calculate your break-even at current rates, not past ones. Ask your landlord for a rent structure tied to sales, since rental value is a commercial decision between you and them.^¹

The government cut its temporary relief discount from 75% to 40% in April 2025, and the rates threshold moved from £12,000 to £18,000. That means your rates bill depends on the year and the policy, not just your property. When you negotiate pay or a role in retail, factor in that the employer's overhead may rise, so ask for a salary that reflects the store's real cost pressure, not just the price of goods. A book bought for £4.05 and sold for £6.99 leaves little room after bills.^¹