A gentlemen’s outfitter that has served Brecon for more than half a century is set to close.

The imminent closure of Aidan Sweeney’s Gentlemen’s Outfitters marks the end of an era for the town.

After 54 years in business in Brecon and 38 years in his shop in the Market Arcade, Mr Sweeney is closing the premises and selling off his remaining stock.

“I’m nearly 70 and the time is right,” he said.

“Family businesses providing personal service were the mainstay of high streets and market towns for decades in the 20th century but are now increasingly rare. My shop, with its antique haberdashery cabinets and drapers chest of drawers, is one of the last of this type in the UK.”

“Many visitors to Brecon comment to me that similar shops in their own towns have already closed,” he said.

Mr Sweeney learnt the menswear business working for Watts the Clothiers, managing their shop in Brecon’s Bulwark before setting up on his own.

He is known for his high-quality traditional products and his outstanding customer care.

Hundreds of letters and emails of gratitude are testament to his dedication to his customers.

In some local families, three or four generations have been served by Mr Sweeney.

“I’m grateful to the many loyal customers in Brecon and the surrounding area for their support over the years, plus all my many customers throughout the UK,” said Mr Sweeney.

“More recently that support has widened overseas, with my website enabling me to reach customers from many other countries. In Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and America, for example, there is demand for traditional menswear such as tattersall shirts, corduroy trousers, braces, and tweed items.”

Mr Sweeney’s hand-written ledgers, detailing in his distinctive copperplate handwriting all his customers’ orders for decades, are a historical record of a lifetime in business.

Made to measure menswear has been his speciality, where his expertise is widely recognised.

“Customers from America, Norway, and elsewhere have visited my shop for made to measure jackets and suits, and I travel throughout England and Wales to meet my customers,” he explained.

These customers include members of the Houses of Parliament and Royal Households, high-ranking military gentlemen, an opera star, and distinguished professionals.

For many years Mr Sweeney has provided Glen Tilbrook and his famous band Squeeze with multiple distinctive suits to wear when performing at home and abroad.

“Glen and the rest of the band have been marvellous customers, and it’s a joy to work with them putting together their look for their concert tours,” added Mr Sweeney.

He was helped in the shop for many years by his mother Mary, who recently celebrated her 100th birthday.

“It was only the outbreak of Covid in 2020 which caused Mother to retire from the shop,” he said.

“And she still carried on doing some work from home after that.”

Mr Sweeney’s knowledge and skills in made to measure will still be available as he moves into semi-retirement, but his unique and distinctive shop in the Market Arcade - one of the last businesses of that style in the country - will close in mid-November.

With its historic fittings, individual wares, and personal service, Aidan Sweeney’s Gentlemen’s Outfitters is a throwback to more traditional times, and its closure is the end of an era.