A NOVELTY toy shop in Taunton town centre is to close this afternoon (Monday) after the company went into administration.

A notice in the the shop window advises customers that Hawkin's Bazaar, in the Orchard Shopping Centre, will be closing.

'Store closing down' posters are advertising 50 per cent off original prices as "everything must go".

Hawkin's Bazaar went into administration on Thursday.

Administrators the shop is no longer accepting returns for refunds.

A statement in the window says: "However, you can exchange your goods...within 14 days of the original purchase to the value of your original purchase. After this date, there are no exchanges."

Customers can no longer buy gift cards, but any already bought will be honoured.

Hawkin's Bazaar, which is based in Norwich, has 20 stores across the country and employs 177 people.

Tom Straw, a partner at the administrators, Moorfields Advisory, said the toy trade had suffered a challenging Christmas due to online competition.

He told The Guardian: "Hawkin’s Bazaar is a retail brand with a strong heritage both on the high street and online.

"Unfortunately, despite making changes to appeal to the shift in modern buying patterns, the retailer still struggled to compete with online retailers such as Amazon."