Businesses in Colchester are preparing for a difficult year, with some 3,000 of their customers leaving the town for Afghanistan.
Every unit of 16 Air Assault Brigade is set to deploy to the war-torn country from February, taking their wallets away for six months.
The Army has refused to confirm the mission, but shops, businesses and pubs are preparing for lean times.
Iain Wicks, chair of the North East Essex branch of the Federation of Small Businesses, said that it was "a worrying situation" for his members.
"Local businesses rely on local people, and the Garrison forms a large part of the community," he said.
"It has been a difficult year for retailing. The expectation is that next year will be difficult too, and this is just an extra issue that garrison towns across the country face."
- More in today's Gazette
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