Shoppers take their final trip to Fosbank Sainsbury's in York

Doors will close for the last time at Sainsbury's in Fossbank at 6pm today (January 11).

When the press visited at 12:30 p.m., the shelves were already empty.

“I'm going to miss you,” Mary Park said.

Haxby Road residents remember when the supermarket first opened in 1984.

“I couldn't believe it. I had never seen anything like this before,” she recalls.

Ms Park said before Sainsbury's opened she used to shop at individual stores, but at the supermarket everything was under one roof.

Sainsbury's in Fosbank closed on Saturday (January 11) (Image: Dylan Connell) She said she would now shop online and at Sainsbury's in Monks Cross.

Sue Cocker said she was “upset and shocked” when she found out Sainsbury's was closing.

“I was angry because the staff were nice,” the New Arswick resident said.

A Sainsbury's spokesperson said the supermarket giant was “committed to doing everything we can” to support staff, including “reassigning colleagues to other roles within Sainsbury's”. “This includes providing opportunities to do so.”

A sign at Sainsbury's in Fosbank announcing the closure on Saturday (January 11) (Image: Dylan Connell) The closure of Sainsbury's followed the site's landowner's decision to redevelop the area as one larger development.

It will be a combination of student accommodation, 'co-living accommodation' and retail space.

As reported by the Press, more than 1,330 people signed an online petition called 'Save Foss Bank Sainsbury's', which said the landlord's decision was a 'huge loss of community asset for local people and a significant Jobs may be lost.” A thriving business.”

Supermarkets have been 'an important part of local communities for decades', says ward councilor

Guildhall ward councilor Rachel Merry said the supermarket had been “an important part of the local community for decades”.

But now the building “could remain vacant for years without any productive use,” Merry said.

He said it was “too late” to stop Sainsbury's from closing, but that councilors were “urging the landowner to include a full-service supermarket, rather than just a convenience store, on the site as part of the redevelopment”. There is,” he added.

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A County House resident, who asked not to be named, praised the consultation carried out by the developers of the Sainsbury's site.

She said representatives of the developer had spoken to residents of County House, which is next door to Sainsbury's, on “three separate occasions” to take their views into account.

“There's nothing we can do about it. We all need to make the best of it,” she said.

But other shoppers were more critical of the plan.

Neil Cox criticizes plans for Sainsbury's site (Image: Dylan Connell) Neil Cox said: “There is plenty of accommodation for students (in York).”

The 64-year-old from Clifton recognizes students need a place to live, but feels the priority is to build “decent housing for the people who live here.” Ta.

He added that York residents were being “forced out” of the city by rising property prices.