A UK supermarket that has been serving locals for more than 100 years is closing its doors today, as it has revealed there is no viable way forward for the business. It comes as industry experts have shared their concerns over the health of the high street and retail in general, with things like soaring costs contributing to financial difficulties for many businesses. Today, (Saturday, June 27), the residents of Dorchester-on-Thames in Oxfordshire are saying goodbye to their Midcounties Co-op Food store.
It was the only supermarket in the village of more than 1,000 people, but said that it had to make the “difficult decision” to shut because there was no “viable” way to continue operating. Locals will now have to travel over a mile away to Berinsfield to get to their nearest supermarket. Locals have praised the store in the past, particularly for the friendliness of the staff.
One local said: “It’s a really great little shop in the village with such friendly staff. It’s a shame they are closing it down as it will a huge loss for residents.”
Another review reads: “Small but very good. It’s so good to have an amazing little shop in a village like this.”
A third wrote: “Always great service and a remarkable selection considering the size of the store.”
A spokesperson for Midcounties Co-Operative said back in May: “As a Co-operative Society owned by our members, we regularly review our estate to ensure our stores are profitable and provide an essential purpose within the communities they serve.
“As part of this process, and after careful consideration, the society has made the difficult decision to close our Dorchester-on-Thames store.
“Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of all of our colleagues, the store has been financially unsustainable for some time and there is no viable opportunity to improve the financial position of the store.
“We have also explored other options in the local area to potentially relocate, but regrettably have been unable to secure any other suitable location on this occasion.
“Our first priority is to offer our support to all colleagues during what we recognise will be a difficult time. We have now entered a formal consultation period with those colleagues affected and, where possible, will look to identify suitable alternative roles within our wider society.”
Meanwhile, a statement from Dorchester Parish Council made shortly after the announcement said: “This clearly raises a number of questions for us as a community, which values its shop.
“In response to this news, we can let you know that the parish council is already discussing behind the scenes with parties’ ways of keeping a store on site but at this stage it is not possible to share more details on this.”