SHOPPERS have reacted with disappointment after Sainsbury’s announced the closure of one of its superstores in York.

As reported by The Press online on Monday, the national supermarket chain said its Foss Bank store in the city centre will close in January 2025 when its lease expires.

The company said it understood that the landlord is looking at regeneration and development of the site.

York Press: The superstore has been a fixture in Foss Bank since 1984The superstore has been a fixture in Foss Bank since 1984 (Image: Kevin Glenton)

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William Macleod, 95, who lives in Lord Mayor's Walk, said he could not remember there not being a Sainsbury’s on the site.

He and his daughter Liz had just finished a shop at the store when they spoke to The Press.

William said he was not a fan of online shopping and he would ‘probably’ go to Morrisons in nearby Foss Islands Road when the Sainsbury's store closes.

York Press: The site used to incorporate a Homebase but this is now taken by GO OutdoorsThe site used to incorporate a Homebase but this is now taken by GO Outdoors (Image: Kevin Glenton)

David Finney, who lives in Boroughbridge Road, said he’s called York home for more than a decade.

He had just completed a shop and was pushing his bicycle up one of the store’s exit ramps into Agar Street.

He said: “This has been my local Sainsbury’s for about seven years.

“I’ve always shopped here and a journey to Monks Cross will add between 10 and 15 minutes, so I will consider going to Morrisons.

“It would be a shame to see this store close and I’d only just read an online article about how it was designed.”

Ian Dodd and his wife live in Huntington and said that the parking deal offered in store works really well for them, allowing them to claim back the cost of their £3.50 ticket if they spend more than £10 in the store.

He said the convenience of the parking also allows them to spend more money in the city centre on other things.

Some shoppers said they have always shopped with Sainsbury’s and would switch to the Monks Cross store.

Most shoppers thought that housing or offices would likely take the space of the Foss Bank store when the lease comes to an end.

Company archives say the Sainsbury's building dates from 1984, when there was a Homebase store on the same site.

The Sainsbury's archive adds that the former County Hospital was converted to offices as part of the development.

The design was well received by experts, being included on the front cover of the 1985 edition of Yorkshire Architect, the regional journal of the Royal Institute of British Architects.