‘It’s a shame’ cry shoppers as bargain supermarket with over 300 locations to close branch – but it’s not all bad news

SHOPPERS have been left devastated after a bargain supermarket with over 300 locations is set to shut one of its branches.

Farmfoods is pulling down the shutters on its store in Ashton Square, Dunstable.

1

The discount supermarket has announced that it would close its location in Ashton Square on May 11.

Loyal customers will be able to snap up last-minute deals with 50 per cent off sale just before the store shuts down.

But it’s not all bad news as Farmfoods will re-open in a new, larger location instead.

All current team members will relocate to the new site.

The store will also operate seven days a week and offer a bigger free parking for customers.

A spokesperson for Farmfoods said: “I can confirm our existing shop in Dunstable at Ashton Square will permanently close after a 50% off sale on Saturday, 11th May. 

“This is ahead of us relocating to a new shop nearby on the Dunstable Retail Park which will open at 8am on Friday 17th May.

“The new shop will be nearly three times the size of our current shop and will therefore offer our full range of branded and own-brand products including frozen food, groceries, chilled foods, bread, milk, fresh fruit and vegetables along with a range of household and other items.”

Shoppers took to Facebook to express their disappointment over the news.

One person said: “It’s a shame, my mother has rheumatoid arthritis and can just about walk to Ashton Square, B&M will be too far for her.”

Another one added: “Footfall fell when Wilkes closed, this will be the end of Ashton Square now and the poor shops around there.”

A third person wrote: “Ashton square will be a wasteland soon.”

But some customers were happy about the upgrade to a bigger space.

“Farm foods is a great shop-huge one will be brilliant,” someone else wrote.

Farmfoods remains a favourite among bargain hunters as it often has cheap offers on popular products like makeup and air fryers.

Sadly, it isn’t the first Farmfoods that’s set for closure this year.

The grocery retailer has shut down its supermarket in Tranent, East Lothian for good at the end of October.

The frozen food specialist pulled down the shutters at its Baillieston branch at the end of last February.

Its Cowgate store in Dundee shut in March, 2023 with another Glasgow shop closing the month before.

Plus its store in West Bromwich closed last May.

The Farmfoods store in Market Street, Huddersfield closed for the final time in September, 2023.

Retailers closing stores in 2024

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 are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.

Here’s a list of all the big-name brands closing stores this year:

• Argos – The brand announced plans to close 100 standalone UK branches last year as it looks to move away from the high street and focus on expanding its presence in supermarkets.
• B&Q – The chain has over 300 shops across the UK, so chances are you have one near you, but some stores have closed in recent months.
• Boots – The health and beauty chain announced that it would be closing 300 stores last July. Closures are ongoing and this will see the retailer’s estate reduced from 2,200 to 1,900 shops.
• Clintons – Clintons mulled plans to close 38 shops in a bid to avoid insolvency late last year. We’ve listed the stores affected.
• Costa Coffee – The caffeine giant has around 2,000 sites nationwide, so chances are you’ll have one near you. The chain has shut the doors to dozens of its sites recently. We’ve revealed which stores are due to close this year.
• Iceland – The supermarket has more than 900 stores but closed nearly two dozen sites in 2023, and more selected shops are due to shut.
• Lidl – The supermarket, which has 950 stores, is changing up shop locations, which has meant that some stores have to close. But the retailer is also looking to open 12 new supermarkets.
• M&S – M&S, which runs 405 stores across the country, has been closing a string of branches across the country in a blow for shoppers. It’s not all bad news, though, because the chain also has big plans to open dozens of new shops as well.
• Trespass – The firm announced in July last year that it was closing six branches, but more are on the way.
• WHSmith – The retail giant, which runs over 1,100 stores, has shuttered eight stores since March 2023, but more are coming.

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk