A seasonal novelty giftware and fancy dress business has moved from Dereham to King's Lynn because its owner believes its prospects are better in the west Norfolk town.

A seasonal novelty giftware and fancy dress business has moved from Dereham to King's Lynn because its owner believes its prospects are better in the west Norfolk town.

Seasons has been trading from Dereham High Street for more than three years but a decline in business has prompted owner Natalie Mills to relocate to bigger premises in the Vancouver Quarter shopping precinct in Lynn. The shop closed in Dereham on Saturday and opened for business in Lynn on the same day .

Mrs Mills, who employs three staff and is assisted by husband, Christopher at weekends, says the footfall in the Vancouver Quarter is probably 'ten times' what it was in Dereham.

It is intended to sell the same range of goods, changing the stock with the seasons, so gardening items are currently to the fore switching to a summer range of good in the next couple of months. The shop also sells a range of 'adults only' items in a separate room within the Lynn shop which is opposite the TJ Hughes store.

'I think our prospects will be better in Lynn because I think that people are tending to go to the bigger centres like Norwich, King's Lynn and Peterborough. The closure of Woolworths in Dereham, as in other Norfolk town centres, hasn't helped small, independent retailers either,' said Mrs Mills.

Mrs Mills said she wanted to thank her regular customers who have supported the Dereham shop over the years and said she would be pleased to welcome them to the new Lynn shop.