An established bookshop in Brighton has been forced to close because of competition from internet shopping and High Street chains.

Blackwell's Bookshop in Bond Street will close its doors for the last time on September 2 despite sales being up on last year.

It marks the final chapter in the 30-year history of the store which was formerly Robinson's.

Manager Kate Baker said the large number of national bookshop chains in Brighton as well as successful internet sites, like amazon.com, had increased competition and affected trade.

An increasing number of large chains, like Waterstone's, which has a huge store in North Street, had increased customer choice and squeezed out some of the smaller bookshops.

She said: "We had a really good team and thought we could make it work but it wasn't financially viable."

About a dozen staff will lose their jobs in the closure decided by Blackwell's head office in Oxford.

Some will move to one of the company's other 80 stores across the country, while others hope to find new jobs elsewhere.

Blackwell's, which started selling books to lecturers and students at Oxford University, will still keep open its shop at the University of Brighton.

Academic book-selling remains the firm's core market.

Ms Baker said: "Closures are not a trend in the company, which is buying new shops all the time.

"Blackwell's also has its own huge website for on-line shopping.

"People are still reading but we had to share our customers with too many other shops in the town."

Blackwell's now hope to sell off all its books in a closing down sale.