SHUTTING UP SHOP
Major supermarket chain with over 2,500 branches confirms exact date it will close ‘lifeline’ store for good
The move has not been welcomed by customers
A MAJOR supermarket chain with over 2,500 branches has confirmed that it is shutting one of its stores for good in a quaint seaside town.
A Co-op in Highcliffe-on-Sea, Dorset is closing its doors for the final time on September 14.
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A spokesperson for Co-op revealed to : "We carry out reviews of our existing store locations, and sometimes, only after very careful consideration, we take the difficult decision to close a store.
"Our store in Lymington Road, Highcliffe-on-Sea, will close on September 14, and our priority is now to fully support colleagues, who have been informed."
Located on England's south coast, the closure has left loyal residents gutted.
One took to Facebook to write: "That is sad, my parents shop there all the time", while another local called the store "a lifeline for the elderly".
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And one local was so shocked they didn't believe the bad news: "Is this true? Can you screen shot the information?"
Others worried for the supermarket's employees: "Oh no poor staff!" and one claimed the move was brought on by the shift to "online shopping".
A different user blamed the closure on "supply and demand", and one stressed only "lovely people work in this Co-op".
Co-op acknowledged: "We understand, this won’t be welcomed by everyone, and we would like to thank the community for its support of this store."
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However, locals aren't completely out of options as residents close to the Co-op site are also near a Tesco Express.
It comes after a Co-op store in the home counties announced its plans for closure.
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The Co-op in Crowthorne Village, Berkshire, is set to close on August 2.
But the close is only temporary, for 10 weeks while the interior is refurbished.
However the good news is that the full closure is initially only ten days. The shop will re-open on August 12 as a community store.
The community store, a smaller pop up shop just for essentials, will stay open for eight weeks.
But there will then be a period of three weeks where customers are left with no shop as the refurbished store is stocked.
A store colleague reassured customers: "I have seen the plans for the new shop and it looks a great design as a team we are excited for this new look."
Some retailers have closed a few branches here and there for various reasons, like when a store lease has come to an end.
Other examples of one-off rather than widespread closures is if there are changes in the area, like a shopping centre closing, and in some cases a shop will close to relocate to another area.
Some chains have faced tougher conditions though, forcing them to shut dozens of stores, or all of them in the worst case.
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.
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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.
Retailers opening stores
IT'S not all bad news on the high street as several retailers are bucking the trend and opening shops.
- German discounter Aldi has announced it will open 35 new UK stores this year. The openings form part of Aldi's long-term target of operating 1,500 stores in the UK.
- Asda has been opening hundreds of convenience stores as it looks to rival major players Tesco and Sainsbury's.
- Purepay Retail Limited , the parent company of Bonmarché, Edinburgh Woollen Mill (EWM) and Peacocks, Purepay Retail Limited, has said it wants to open 100 new high street stores over the next 18 months.
- Home Bargains has said it wants to "eventually have between 800 and 1,000 retail outlets open".
- Primark is also opening new branches and investing and renovating more than a dozen of its existing shops.
- Screwfix is set to open 40 new stores nationwide as its owner, Kingfisher, seeks to expand the DIY brand's national presence.
- Tesco has revealed plans to open 70 more stores across the UK over the next year as part of major expansion plans.
- WHSmith has turned its focus to the travel side of its business, with plans to open new sites in airports, railway stations and hospitals.
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