A Co Derry butcher has said his 'heart was completely broken' after he was forced to close his family business over rising costs.
Pat O'Kane Family Butchers opened its doors in February 2020, with hopes that the new business would thrive over the coming years.
Taking to social media over the week, Pat O'Kane said "his heart was completely broken", adding that the decision "was completely out of his hands".
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The butchers, which was based on the New Row in Coleraine, officially closed on Sunday (May 22).
In an emotional video, Mr O'Kane, 24, the owner of the business, said: "With soaring costs through the roof and the footfall [not being] in our streets. It's a very hard decision that we've made and we haven't took it very lightly at all.
"We've been thinking [about closing] since the start of March. We were busy in January and February but with the rising people can't afford to eat good anymore.
"We want to thank every one of our customers. You all know who you are and we want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
"We appreciate everything you've done for us. We're going 18 months and it's not nice to see a young business, only established [having to close].
"The price of electricity, the price of rent, and the price of chicken and beef is through the roof. Electricity was £1000 a month [last month], it's not viable.
"Our problem is that we're a small business and some of the bigger businesses have plenty of money behind them and unfortunately, I don't have money in the bank to be having a quiet week.
"It doesn't work like that and the business isn't viable to us anymore. It's not making money. We're losing money every week. So the responsible thing to do is to close our doors.
"Who knows what the future holds. We'll see you in the future and we'll keep you all updated."
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