Dismay From Elderly Customers At News Of Sainsbury's Cafe Closure

The premises is to be turned into a pick up location for Argos products

The news that the cafe beside Sainsbury's in Essex Place is to be closed has dismayed local people, particularly many elderly customers.

The cafe is to closed on 7 October and it will become an Sainsbury's pick up point for Argos products. The issue has led to a discussion on our forum.

When Chiswickw4.com visited last week there were a number of elderly residents who were very glum at the news.

One said: "This cafe is very good value for me, I can have a hot meal for £6, and I can do my shopping too.

"Where else can I go- there's no use saying I can try elsewhere on the High Road, it's too far to walk."

Her companion was equally crestfallen. "Why they have to change it into an Argos is beyond me. It's doing very well as a cafe. Loads of older people come here, where else have we now?"

They both remarked that there were few places in Chiswick which catered for elderly people on lower incomes where they could have a hot breakfast or lunch. And they bemoaned the closure of the Chiswick Day Centre seven years ago.

Three years ago, Sainsbury's announced that it planning to convert shop space equivalent to almost 40 supermarkets from selling food into non-food items in a bid to fight back against a fall in grocery sales.

The supermarket chain identified 1.5m sq ft of space across the UK, which represents 6pc of its portfolio, that it no longer needed for food. The company has since bought Argos and Habitat Home for £1.4 billion and has installed pick up locations across the country.

The move is a bid to fight back against online competitors.

September 9, 2018