A caterer who received a grant of almost £25,000 from the government’s Future High Street Fund for Trowbridge has just closed his second shop in the town.

Ron De La Cruz and his wife Elaine have just closed their Bula Bula Bubble Tea & Lounge Bar in one of The Shires shopping centre micro-shops.

Mr De La Cruz said on Thursday, October 3 the business had been hit by Greggs opening a new 100-seater restaurant nearby.

“We were not making any money. We had no footfall and Greggs took all our customers.

“You can’t carry on a business when you are not turning over any money. What’s the point of running a business when you are not making any money?”

“The rents were quite high. We were there over a year and we tried.”

The Bula Bula bubble tea and lounge bar in The Shires micro-shop closed in September. The Bula Bula bubble tea and lounge bar in The Shires micro-shop closed in September. (Image: Trevor Porter)

They had invested £8,000 to £10,000 to set up their Bula Bula Bubble Tea and Lounge Bar business in one of the micro-shop units at The Shires shopping centre in July last year.

The couple, who live in Hilperton, also run a JC’s Kitchen outlet at the Green Park Station in Bath.

JC’s Kitchen was awarded a £24,995 grant in March 2023 by Wiltshire Council under the Vacant Commercial Units Fund scheme.

The scheme is funded through the £16.3 million Future High Streets Fund administered by Wiltshire Council to help regenerate Trowbridge town centre.

The grant enabled Mr and Mrs De La Cruz to make and sell a fusion of British and Filipino food from a kiosk in the Castle Place shopping centre.

But Mr De La Cruz later closed the unit, saying JC’s Kitchen had been hit by soaring costs of stock and a dramatic drop in shoppers visiting Castle Place following the loss of key stores Wilko’s and Shaws the Draper.

When work started on Trowbridge Town Hall and the Market Street bus stop was moved, JC’s Kitchen trade dropped dramatically, Mr De La Cruz said.

“We were kind of steady and then the town hall work started, so we lost the bus stop and that affected us massively.

“And then to top it off, Wilkinson’s shut and that was even more difficult because there is no footfall there anymore.”

In October last year, Mr De La Cruz said they intended to rebrand the JC's Kitchen business as Bathwurst to sell hotdogs at events, such as the annual Trowbridge Carnival procession.