A wine retailer which has been in Oxford’s High Street for more than 40 years has been forced to close by its landlord Oriel College.

Oddbins has shut up shop despite being one of just 37 branches to be rescued from administration last year when it was bought by Whittall’s Wine, owned by multi-millionaire Raj Chatha.

Four jobs have been lost at the High Street branch. It leaves just one remaining Oddbins in the city in Little Clarendon Street.

A sign in the High Street branch window says: “Due to circumstances beyond our control and against our wishes, we have been forced to vacate this property and close this branch of Oddbins which has been proudly serving the residents of Oxford for more than 40 years.”

Three of the four workers have been re-employed in London Oddbins stores Helen Styles worked as a wine adviser at the store for seven years and has been made redundant.

The single mother of three who has just taken out a mortgage on a home in Rose Hill, said: “It is really sad.

“Oriel doesn’t realise this decision has real implications for ordinary people.”

Company spokesman Andrew Murray-Watson confirmed the shop had been operating from the High Street site since the 1970s.

He said: “The landlord is Oriel College and when the original lease was drawn up a clause said that, should the business go into administration, the landlord reserved the right to terminate the lease.

“Despite offering to increase the rent and assurances from Oddbins, Oriel has decided to invoke the clause and call time on the lease.

“There are no specific plans to find another Oxford site at the moment.”

Mr Murray-Watson added that the premises would be emptied and handed back to Oriel College on January 31.

Oriel College treasurer Wilf Stephenson said: “The college made a commercial decision to exercise its pre-emption right which it is entitled to do. It is a different business with different people and we had to make a judgment.”

Mr Stephenson added that the decision was not based on rent which was already set at the market value.

Until April Oddbins had three branches in Oxford, with the third in Banbury Road, Summertown, Following the administration that branch became ExCellar off licence, which recently shut with the site earmarked to be part of the new Sainsbury’s supermarket.

Jeremy Mogford, chairman of the Oxford High Street Association, said: “I would like to see the colleges sit down and examine what is needed rather than hiding behind their charitable status and going for the highest rent possible which is to the detriment of the street.”

Colin Cook, Oxford City Council’s board member for city development, added: “I would not imagine Oriel would wish to take people out of there if it did not have a back-up plan.”