The Ocado of its day
Cloughs was more than just a shop; it was a service. Long before supermarket deliveries and online shopping, Cloughs vans were a familiar sight across Mid Sussex. In the 1990s, the family made as many as 400 deliveries per week. Locals affectionately recall that the business was ‘like the Ocado of their day’.
A deli with a difference
Cloughs gained a reputation for quality, specialising in a huge array of cheeses in the deli counter English and French, ‘Cloughs ham’ , locally sourced produce, specialty fine foods, Lindt chocolates and later down the line environmentally friendly goods. Its deli counter offered freshly made sandwiches, salads, and a range of catering services. It wasn’t unusual for families to rely on Cloughs for both their daily groceries and special occasions. Christmas was always a spectacle in David’s days of the Shop with rose of carefully decorated displays of Christmas goodies.
David would spend many the late night at the shop making sure everything looked just so and keeping the shelves stocked.
The shop also had a Post Office, David remembers when they often used to be large queues out the door of the shop for people collecting their pensions. Also had the national lottery, the most loyal of customers also were able to have an account to put all their shopping on, rather then paying at the till.
You knew you were special if you had an ‘account at Cloughs’.
It didn’t go without its struggles and scenarios!
Ranging from staff members having accidents on the ham slicing machine, surviving various credit crunchs and market crashes, severe snow weather and remaining open, vital lifeline during Covid, break-ins, including a rather dramatic raid on the Post Office safe which is a whole story in itself!
One former staff from Cloughs Stores in the 60s. Remembers Norman Clough and brother David Clough behind the deli counter, along with Ernie and Mr Sid Frost, who worked out back. I remember Mr Clough's mother would bring Norman and David coffee and cakes from the house behind the shop. She lived there before moving to a new house across the road.
The final chapter
Despite its longevity, changing shopping habits and the dominance of supermarkets took their toll. In 2024, Cloughs announced it would be closing its doors after 90 years of continuous service.
For many, the closure marked the end of an era. Social media posts from the time captured the sense of loss: gratitude for decades of service, and sadness at the departure of a true village institution.
The future.
The building is now almost unrecognisable after being thoughtfully converted into two one-bedroom apartments by the Clough Family.
But the Clough family name lives on with the first apartment at the front, named ‘the David’, and the rear flat ‘the Norman.’ which is still in progress being built as named after Norman who ran the Deli alongside my Grandad.
