Sadness as Wolverhampton's Waitrose store closes doors for last time

There was an air of sadness as shoppers called in a Wolverhampton supermarket for the final time.

Maria Meageen said the atmosphere inside the shop was very sad

Loyal customers and people shopping there for the first time came to the Waitrose store on Penn Road in Wolverhampton as it officially closed its doors after 16 years.

The store is one of four around the country to close, alongside smaller stores in Shrewsbury, Caldicot and Ipswich, due to the chain being unable to make the shops profitable.

As the store prepared to close ahead of a refurbishment to reopen as a Tesco in May, staff inside worked to clear the shelves, with a limited number of items still on sale ahead of the 6pm closing.

Shelves laid bare on the last day of the store as stock was sold off and materials cleared away

Shoppers coming to the store spoke of sadness at the store closing, with many reflecting on years of shopping there due to good quality food and friendly service.

Maria Meageen from Wombourne was doing shopping for the charity Outreach 4 Wolverhampton, picking up bottles of orange juice and a range of sandwiches and other products.

The 55-year-old said she had been coming to the store every week for many years and spoke about the atmosphere inside the store.

Upset

She said: "It's really sad going into there today as it just feels empty, with some many shelves looking empty as people are packing away.

"I know it's going to become a Tesco, so at least the site will still be used, but I know a lot of older people who are upset as they are so used to coming here and doing their shopping as it's familiar to them.

"I hope the staff are able to find work soon, whether it's with Tesco or elsewhere, as they have been brilliant and I really feel for them."

Carol Chamberlain said her husband was upset about the closure as he liked to get his ingredients from the store

Carol Chamberlain from Penn in Wolverhampton said the closure was a dreadful loss for the city.

The 59-year-old said: "It feels like a local store and that's what I think we're going to miss as it's always been a nice store to drop into.

"My husband is particularly upset as he's a keen cook and buys a lot of the fresh produce from here as it lasts longer and you can't get it in some of the other stores.

"I always bought my fruit and vegetables from here as it would stay fresh for two weeks, whereas the stuff from other stores would go off after two days."

Mark Jones said he was devastated to find out the store was closing

Mark Jones had been visiting from Walsall to buy wine and whisky for New Year's Eve and said he hadn't known the store was closing, so was more than a bit shocked at the news.

The 52-year-old said: "I'm devastated as I've come here with my friend for the first time in ages and thought it looked a bit empty inside, but thought that was due to low stock.

"They've then told me it was closing and it's just such a shock as I always come here to shop, so it's going to have an effect on where I go now for wine and port and things like that."