Store closure will hit many in Cleveleys

The board at Tesco’s Metro store on Victoria Road West, Cleveleys, is a brilliant one. This is the store that is closing by the end of the year.

We’re not ‘just’ losing a significantly-sized and well-stocked store which has been at the heart of the town since the ‘70s.

We’re not ‘just’ losing jobs - and there’s a truly nice staff team here - for those who can’t be redeployed elsewhere and many of whom live in or near the town too.

We’re not ‘just’ losing another reason to shop in Cleveleys because this retail centre is the sum total of its parts - and Tesco is a key element of that offer for those of us who live in the area or choose to visit the resort.

There’s going to be a considerable impact upon elderly and/or disabled shoppers - particularly those who don’t drive, many of whom have chosen to retire to the town, many of whom live alone, and many of whom were on first name terms with staff there. You may have seen them, sat outside, their walkers or trolleys nearby.

Yes, there’s a Morrisons way down the road, a small Sainsbury’s, an Aldi around the corner, Lidl a little further afield, and M&S, Home Bargains, B&M, Heron and Poundwhatevertheheckits to pick up the pieces - but Tesco is Tesco and commands real loyalty among its shoppers.

And all that level of community engagement, support for charities, for causes, awareness raising, fundraising, the works, detailed on the community board, shows it was returned - and come the closure, before the year’s end by all accounts, will be no more too.

We can’t blame charity shops or even online shopping for this.

I just hope the powers that be urge the landlord – not just the Tesco CEO - to reflect upon just what this means to the town, the economy and the oft-overlooked social landscape too.

Jacqui Morley

Address supplied