A Victorian candy shop in Guernsey has had its manager decide to step down following a dispute over efforts to place barcodes on the shops products.

Elizabeth Lihou, who managed all aspects of the Victorian Shop and Parlour for over 10 years, described the National Trust of Guernsey’s determination as “so wrong”.

Mrs Lihou stated it wasn’t right to modernise the “beautiful” shop, which was once “kept right through the war”.
“For items to become barcoded, I couldn’t do it,” she added.

Guernsey National Trust stated the shop would now be closed for “some months” with a purpose to complete refurbishment.

Mrs Lihou, who describes herself as the shop’s “manageress”, stated her duties for the better part of a decade had included everything from “cleaning the shop in the morning to doing the banking at the end of the week”.

“I wouldn’t be leaving except for the fact the National Trust have decided they wanted to have everything barcoded,” she stated.

“I think in a Victorian shop that is so wrong. This is one of the few old places in town where visitors can see how Guernsey was,” she added.

The President of the National Trust Tony Spruce stated he was “disappointed” that Mrs Lihou’s decision to step down.
“The simple fact is we do need to control our stock, to know what we’re selling and what we’re banking,” he added.