WAITROSE Teignmouth is closing its doors for the last time on Sunday.

After five years in the town the upmarket supermarket is shutting up shop. Waitrose Torquay is also closing on Sunday, meaning there will now be no Waitrose supermarket in South Devon between Exeter and Plymouth.

The Teignmouth store, which took over the former Co-op in Higher Brook Street, employs 111 staff.

The company, owned by John Lewis, said they are selling both the Teignmouth and Torquay stores to ‘another retailer’, which has not been named, although it’s widely thought Lidl supermarket has bought both units.

Staff have been given the option to stay on with the new owners or be relocated within the Waitrose group – to Exeter or Plymouth.

The Teignmouth building will be closed for up to six months for a major refit.

Deputy town mayor Cllr Peter Williams said the town will be sad to see the upmarket store leave, but the departure will leave an opportunity for the town’s smaller food traders.

He said: ‘Nobody likes to see anyone leaving the town, especially someone with the influence Waitrose has had. It’s a blow because, when Waitrose came to Teignmouth, it did give the town an elevation.

‘But Teignmouth is a thriving town and I’m sure the closure will give our local food traders the opportunity to grow their businesses and fill the gap.

‘Particularly sad, however, will be the loss to local charities who have benefited enormously from the monthly community donations from Waitrose.

‘The store needs to be congratulated for its support of local charities – three a month sharing £1,000 – and this input will be sorely missed. Also HITS food bank received many donations from the supermarket’s food collection point, and I’m sure that will be missed too.’

Krys Jantzen, Waitrose and Partners regional manager, said: ‘We have taken great pride in being part of the Teignmouth community over the last five years.

‘We’re very grateful to our partners for all their dedication and hard work – our priority has very much been with them and supporting them throughout the process, with a number of them remaining in the business.

‘We’d also like to express our sincere thanks to our customers and the community groups we’ve worked with.

‘The sale of the shop is not something we’ve taken lightly, but we have sadly not been able to find a way to make the store sustainable in the long term.’