Supermarket chain with 2,500 UK sites is to close town centre store in DAYS as shoppers sob ‘it’s a huge loss’

SHOPPERS have been left devastated after a supermarket chain with 2,500 sites across the UK prepares to shut a beloved town centre store.

Locals have described the shock decision to shut the doors of the popular branch as "a huge loss" for the town centre.

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The local Co-op store in the Meadows, Nottingham is set to finally pull down the shutters for the final time tomorrow.

The well-known shop was a mainstay in the Bridgeway Shopping Centre for over 50 years.

Co-op haven't given a reason for the closure but said it was a "difficult decision".

The store's final day of trading will be Saturday, November 16.

A spokesperson for Co-op confirmed the closure saying: “Co-op regularly reviews its stores. In addition to opening new stores we sometimes, and only after careful consideration, have to take the difficult decision to close a store.

"With the expiry of the lease our store in the Bridgeway Centre will close.

"Colleagues, who have been informed, are being fully supported with every effort being taken to offer alternative positions in the area.

"We would like to thank the community for its support of this store.”

Local David Cooksy previously told how he was left "disappointed" when he heard the store was closing down.

David, 85, and his wife Heidi, 82, have been regular Co-op customers since the 50s in the Meadows.

He told the BBC: "It's convenient. It's a convenience store, that's what it's called and now it's not going to be here.

"It's always been here. I go back to the 50s in the Meadows and there's always been a Co-op."

Laney Neilson, 24, said the branch was a favourite for older locals including her grandparents due to its prime location in the town centre.

She said the closure has made many pensioners "quite upset" with the nearest store no longer being in walking distance.

The next closest Co-op stores for shoppers in the area are on Station Street and Trent Bridge in Nottingham or Trent Boulevard in West Bridgford.

Meadows resident Aparna Valsala, 33, added: "You see so many people come here in the morning - it's a loss to the community."

It comes after news that Central Co-op would be offloading almost 20 food stores in various locations across middle England.

However, in a boost for shoppers the same branches are being sold to two retailers and will reopen under their brand names.

Three of the food stores will reopen as B&M branches, while the remaining 16 are being sold to Samy Limited.

The independent convenience chain currently runs 32 Budgens, Spar, Londis and Premier stores across the UK.

Central Co-op said the 19 branches had been "financially unsustainable for some time".

HIGH STREET CLOSURES

Several high-street retailers have been struggling to get by over the past few years.

The pandemic was a tough blow as many stores had to close during lockdown.

Since then energy costs have risen and more shoppers than ever are choosing to order online rather than head into stores.

This has left some remaining retailers grappling with budgets and having no choice but to close stores to cut costs.

For the most part, supermarkets have braved the storm as they provide essential items like food and drink.

But other retailers have been less fortunate The Body Shop is currently going through administration and announced plans to close half of its 198 stores.

Boots announced it would be closing 300 stores over the next year as part of plans to evolve its brand.

M&S has also confirmed store closure and openings with plans to ensure it has the best store locations.

The Sun's business editor Ashley Armstrong explains why so many retailers are shutting their doors.

In many cases, retailers are shutting stores because they are no longer the money-makers they once were because of the rise of online shopping.

Falling store sales and rising staff costs have made it even more expensive for shops to stay open. In some cases, retailers are shutting a store and reopening a new shop at the other end of a high street to reflect how a town has changed.

The problem is that when a big shop closes, footfall falls across the local high street, which puts more shops at risk of closing.

Retail parks are increasingly popular with shoppers, who want to be able to get easy, free parking at a time when local councils have hiked parking charges in towns.

Many retailers including Next and Marks & Spencer have been shutting stores on the high street and taking bigger stores in better-performing retail parks instead.

Boss Stuart Machin recently said that when it relocated a tired store in Chesterfield to a new big store in a retail park half a mile away, its sales in the area rose by 103 per cent.

In some cases, stores have been shut when a retailer goes bust, as in the case of Wilko, Debenhams Topshop, Dorothy Perkins and Paperchase to name a few.

What’s increasingly common is when a chain goes bust a rival retailer or private equity firm snaps up the intellectual property rights so they can own the brand and sell it online.

They may go on to open a handful of stores if there is customer demand, but there are rarely ever as many stores or in the same places.