The closure of Hanham’s Lidl store after 26 years was the end of an era for many local families.
Among those affected was Joseph Dean, who lives nearby and has been going to the shop all his life.
So when the last opening date was announced, Joseph, 19, formed a plan.
“I thought ‘how cool would it be to be the last customer to shop there?’,” he said.
“On the day, Friday March 1, me and my younger sister, Emily Dean, got to the store around 20 minutes before closure, slowly walking the aisles and idling at the back.
“When it came to around one minute to 6pm, we slowly walked to the front, confirming with a staff member we were the last in the store. With that, my sister made her purchase, the second last in the store. This was followed by me making the last ever purchase, made up of items which I bought frequently in there at different points in my life, alongside a souvenir tote bag. After paying, the final receipt printed with a time of 18:02:44. Me and my sister wished the staff goodbye and left for the last time.”
Lidl said in a statement: “Over the last few years, we have opened a brand new store in Longwell Green and expanded our Lawrence Hill store, providing households in the area with an enhanced shopping experience.
“Plans were also explored to extend our Hanham store; however the site is unfortunately not able to accommodate our full requirements. We hope to continue welcoming customers to one of our nearby stores.”
All staff are understood to have transferred to other Lidl stores.
Joseph said: “The Hanham store in Lidl formed the mainstay of our household’s essentials my entire life. It will be very missed by my family and neighbours, and I just really hope that another convenience store moves in.”