A DESPONDENT mother-daughter duo will close up their Headington shop for the last time in August after their business was "killed" by online sales.

Chris Green, 55, and Sam Green, 28, have run The Oxford Furniture Warehouse for 14 years, first in Abingdon Road and then in London Road since 2013.

But ongoing financial difficulties have forced the pair to drop the enterprise altogether, with the last day of trading on Wednesday, August 24.

Mrs Green, from Kennington, said: "We are very disappointed. We've loved it in Headington and we have lots of loyal customers.

"Back in December we realised that we weren't going forward. It's happening everywhere in Oxford.

"We literally just put all the 'closing down' signs on the window and we have been inundated with people saying how sorry they are, and just buying for the sake of buying."

The quirky store on the corner of Stephen Road sells everything from budget pine furniture to leather trunks, wall art and gold-framed leopard print chairs.

But Mrs Green said that aside from bespoke furniture most of the items could be bought online, leading to a plummeting customer base.

She said: "The internet is killing high street shops. People selling online have no overheads, no rents and no rates, because they work from a little storage area.

"It's the way it's going; all these small businesses are going to be gone. I give it five years. I think there are five empty shops in Headington now and the only things replacing them are coffee shops and food shops. I don't know what people can do."

Back in 2013 the Greens packed up and moved to Headington to get away from the risk of flooding in South Oxford, following a robbery the year before.

After the shop closure Mrs Green plans to move to Devon, while her daughter Sam will remain in Oxford.

Stuart Crook, a partner with Oxford-based accountants Wellers, said: "The internet is a contributory factor to a number of businesses that have it as one of their competitors.

"There's a lot of problems with retail in Oxford at the moment. In Headington in particular there's a lot of food and charity shops, and all the businesses like this one are paying business rates whereas charity shops aren't.

"I know a good second-hand furniture store in Windmill Road that's a charity shop, so I can see it would be difficult.

"We should be worried. There are quite a few campaigns going on where people are supporting pubs that are going to close. We need to use them in the first place."