In the last few years I have been to 3 Axminster stores - Cardiff, High Wycombe and Axminster.
All were bereft of customers in the store - perhaps 2 or 3 at any one time. Stores cost a lot of money to stock, employ staff, pay rents etc etc. The reality is they simply do not have sufficient footfall to make them remotely economic.
Even if they regarded the store as a showroom rather than a place to sell from, buyers of large and expensive items would tend to decide what they want, go home and look for the best price online. It is also often cheaper in both time and money to simply get stuff delivered than go and pick it up.
It is the hobbyist and small business end of the market which I suspect mast regrets that loss of the stores. Like me, I suspect most want to look, see, feel before parting with the hard earned.
To enjoy the benefits of real stores, sadly the users need to pay. With the internet accessible to all most are not prepared to do so. The days of the "proper store" are numbered.
