Lidl in Paignton, Devon, has its last day of trading Sunday after becoming “no longer fit for purpose”, its owners said.

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The store in the Victoria Centre will shut for good on February 4 after long speculation about its future.

But fans of the supermarket and Paignton locals have been left distraught at the “huge loss”.

They said the closure of the Lidl marks the end of the final supermarket in the town centre.

Paignton has faced retail crime in the city centre with business owners saying they face threats and abuse from yobs.

Fans of Lidl will now have to travel out of town to the White Rock Way store on the town’s southern outskirts.

For those who don’t have cars, it would be a difficult trip on the bus to carry all the groceries home.

One said: “The last proper shopping centre in town. Always busy, and the best veg. We will end up like America shopping malls, no town centre. No heart.”

Another said: “I think this closure is a big loss to Paignton.”

While a third said: “It’s so sad. Not everyone has a car to go shopping. I shall miss it. Our town is dying.”

Commercial property agent Paul Heather spoke to Devon Live and said locals relied on the Lidl as they could walk to the town centre.

“This shutdown would deprive many of an affordable supermarket option, leaving them with limited choices for grocery shopping in the town centre.

“While Iceland supermarket on Victoria Street may emerge as the primary substitute, it fails to match the diverse product range offered by Lidl”.

In a statement, Lidl said the store’s staff had been redeployed elsewhere.

Lidl said: “We can confirm that our Paignton store in the Victoria Centre, which is almost 25 years old, is unfortunately no longer fit for purpose and will be closing on Sunday 4th February.

“Residents can be assured that they will still have access to our great value products at our larger White Rock Way store, just 10 minutes’ drive away. Additionally, our teams are continuing with plans to bring a new store to Kings Ash.”

The Paignton closure comes after Lidl has pulled down the shutters on several of its supermarkets in the past year, including one in Walsall.

In 2023 Lidl announced plans to open hundreds of locations across the UK as part of huge expansion plans.

It confirmed a new store target of 1,100 stores by the end of 2025, creating potentially 4,000 new jobs.

The Sun has a full list of potential new Lidl locations – find out if a store is coming to a town near you.

It comes as other major shops and retailers look to close outlets in 2024.

Some stores will be replaced or relocated while others will disappear from the high street forever.

Argos, Next, Jack Wills and Poundland will all shut selected branches for good in 2024.

Many retailers have not been able to recover from coronavirus lockdowns, and the switch to online shopping has not helped.

Increasing bills, rent and the cost of living has meant people are much more careful when it comes to spending money.

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