A family butcher that has served an Aberdeenshire community for 24 years will close for good later this year, partly due to competition from large supermarket chains.
P&J Scott Butchers has long been a mainstay on the High Street of Laurencekirk, supplying steaks, burgers, sausages and more to families in the town.
However, its owners have announced they will be hanging up their aprons for the last time on November 30.
Darren Scott, who works at the shop with his father Peter, said the business has been unable to make enough money to continue.
And he said competition from nearby supermarkets had also contributed to the decision to close.
The butcher thanked all the loyal customers from Laurencekirk and other nearby communities who have supported the business over the past 24 years.
He said: “We’ve got some regulars in day in and day out, but there have been a lot of faces we haven’t seen in a long time.
“But things have gone so quiet the money’s not there to offer a decent salary to anybody, so before anything gets worse we thought it’d be best to end it there.
“If you go into the Lidl car park, it’s never empty.
“It’s just too convenient for folk, because they’re there anyway and just grab what they need.”
Earlier this year it emerged that the number of butcher shops in Aberdeenshire had dropped from 45 in 2010 to 35 now.