A BARGAIN supermarket is closing a store for good – causing disappointment among local shoppers.
The branch of the major chain – which has more than 300 shops in Britain – will shut its doors on October 5, sparking a discount sale in the run-up to its closure.
Staff at the Farmfoods shop in Sutton – which is the only site affected – will be facing redundancy amid the landlord’s plans to redevelop the site, MyLondon reported.
The company will look to reopen in Sutton in the future, a spokesperson said.
Property Director at Farmfoods Limited, Alistair Kay, said: “I confirm our Sutton shop will close on Saturday, 5th October following a 50% off all stock closing sale.
“The closure is due to our landlord intending to redevelop the land the building sits on. No other Farmfoods shops are affected.
“We’re grateful to all our customers for their loyalty shopping with us at the site over the years and will continue to look for suitable opportunities to reopen in Sutton in future.”
The store is located near the bottom of Sutton High Street, and has been a staple in the area for more than 10 years.
News of the closure was posted in a local Facebook group for residents of the area.
One poster, Chrissie Arnold, wrote: “That’s really sad, I love Farmfoods, soon there shall be no shops left in Sutton.
Another wrote: “Sutton could end up a dormitory town as Crawley was, no services, or many shops in town, but plenty of places to live and good transport to get to and from it.”
Tracey Thatcher said it was a “useful shop, especially in COVID times”.
Maisiee Dee Jones tagged a friend and wrote: “Another one gone.”
Hayley Bowes wrote: “There will be nothing left except for flats. No shops anywhere.”
RETAILERS have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis.
High energy costs and a move to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.
The high street has seen a whole raft of closures over the past year, and more are coming.
The number of jobs lost in British retail dropped last year, but 120,000 people still lost their employment, figures have suggested.
Figures from the Centre for Retail Research revealed that 10,494 shops closed for the last time during 2023, and 119,405 jobs were lost in the sector.
It was fewer shops than had been lost for several years, and a reduction from 151,641 jobs lost in 2022.
The centre’s director, Professor Joshua Bamfield, said the improvement is “less bad” than good.
Although there were some big-name losses from the high street, including Wilko, many large companies had already gone bust before 2022, the centre said, such as Topshop owner Arcadia, Jessops and Debenhams.
“The cost-of-living crisis, inflation and increases in interest rates have led many consumers to tighten their belts, reducing retail spend,” Prof Bamfield said.
“Retailers themselves have suffered increasing energy and occupancy costs, staff shortages and falling demand that have made rebuilding profits after extensive store closures during the pandemic exceptionally difficult.”
Alongside Wilko, which employed around 12,000 people when it collapsed, 2023’s biggest failures included Paperchase, Cath Kidston, Planet Organic and Tile Giant.
The Centre for Retail Research said most stores were closed because companies were trying to reorganise and cut costs rather than the business failing.
However, experts have warned there will likely be more failures this year as consumers keep their belts tight and borrowing costs soar for businesses.
The Body Shop and Ted Baker are the biggest names to have already collapsed into administration this year.
