Ripon Booths: City shoppers sad to see 'Waitrose of the North' go

BBC News

6 days ago

Upmarket grocer Booths is set to close its Ripon store, after the "Waitrose of the North" struggled to make a profit in the city.The lease of the branch on Marshall Way is likely to be taken over by Tesco, with staff being transferred to the national chain.Booths has 27 stores across the north, but the majority are in Lancashire and Cumbria, with only three in Yorkshire.Ripon residents have said they will "be sorry to see it go".
Simon Edwards, owner of The Little Ripon Bookshop on Westgate, which opened at a similar time to Booths in 2009, said Tesco was "better than a Lidl but a Waitrose would have been fantastic for us".He said: "Booths has an affinity with our shop - we both attract customers who appreciate the human touch."If it was closing and no one was replacing it, we would be worried, especially with the new Next store opening out of town, next door to the expanded M&S food hall."It's a relief that Tesco will be taking it over and it won't be empty."Ripon was probably a bit of an outlier for Booths. When you get to Lancashire, you see them everywhere and it's much better known."
The closure of Ripon after 16 years will leave the Ilkley and Settle stores still open in Yorkshire.Ripon also has a Sainsbury's in the centre of town, an Aldi nearby and a Morrisons to the south, with an M&S food hall at St Michael's Retail Park.Residents outside the Booths store on Friday said it was shame the supermarket was leaving the city.Avril Kernow, who had popped in for some decaf coffee, said she liked the supermarket because it offered something a little different.She said: "We quite like Booths. The others are all much the same."You always get something a bit different in there. It isn't always cheap, but it's good and the staff are good. And it's convenient, so we think it's a shame."She said she would be unlikely to return to the store when it becomes a Tesco."We do M&S more than any other supermarket," she said. "Sainsbury's occasionally, when they have an offer on. But other than that it's here and M&S."Jill Smith, who drives five miles into Ripon to do her grocery shopping in Booths, said she would be sad to see it go."It's just such a lovely, different store. It's not like all the others."I might bob in to Tesco but I probably won't come in as much as I do to Booths. "I like the fact the staff are very friendly and it's just got some different bits and pieces in that you don't get in Tesco."They seem to support local producers. So it's just sad, but it's just the way things are."Dominique Chevalier-Godber, who was holidaying in her in-laws' nearby holiday cottage, said the family tended to shop in Booths when they were staying in the area.She said: "It's really sad. I used to work for Waitrose and John Lewis, but I feel like Booths is the only similar sort of supermarket like Waitrose. "It has really good values, really good community feel and we love coming here rather than going to a Sainsbury's."
Ripon MP Sir Julian Smith said he understood the "surprise" many felt at the change.He said: "I am grateful to Booths for their years of service to Ripon."Tesco's decision to take over the site shows confidence in the city's future, and I stand ready to work with Tesco to ensure the transition supports the community."Lilla Bathurst, manager of Ripon BID, said Booths had been an important part of Ripon's retail landscape, but welcomed Tesco's investment in the city.She said: "Ripon continues to thrive as a vibrant destination for both national retailers and independent businesses."Booths has closed two other stores since the pandemic - the MediaCity UK branch in 2021 and Hale Barns in April 2024, ending their presence in Greater Manchester.A spokesperson for Booths said the challenges of "significantly increased operating costs" meant the company could not see a future where the Ripon store "would be profitable under the Booths model".They said: "Booths have begun a consultation process with their colleagues at the Ripon store relating to a forthcoming transfer of the property lease for the store to Tesco."It is anticipated that all jobs will be protected and transferred to Tesco during this consultation process. Closing any store is a very difficult decision, however we are working to protect all jobs in this process."We have no current plans to exit any of our other stores."
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