THIS year has been a tough one for retail, with the pandemic forcing many shops to close during two national lockdowns.

The result has seen various high-street stores forced to close branches across the country.

Andover has seen the impact of this in the town centre, and retail parks, with various shops having to shut up for good.

Here we look at some of the much-loved shops which we said goodbye to in the town in 2020.

Sainsbury’s

Much-loved supermarket Sainsbury’s announced in September that it would be permanently close one of its Andover stores.

A spokesperson for the company told the Advertiser that it was a “difficult decision” to shut its Bridge Street shop.

In September 2019, Sainsbury’s announced it would shut up to 15 large supermarkets and as many as 40 convenience stores.

Sainsbury’s shoppers can however still continue to shop in the town, with the nearby Andover North store still trading.

The Body Shop

It’s the perfect place to find pampering gifts for loved ones, or to treat yourself. But sadly, The Body Shop is no longer open in Andover after announcing in September that it would close its town centre store.

The shop, in the Chantry Centre, shut on October 22 following a review by the cosmetics company.

In a statement to the Advertiser at the time, a spokesperson for The Body Shop said: “We regularly review our store portfolio performance and have taken the decision not to renew the lease of The Body Shop in Andover and close this store.

“We will cease trading and have been in consultation over the last few weeks with the members of the store team to discuss job opportunities elsewhere within the business.”

Co-op

Customers of The Co-op branch in Charlton Road were saddened to hear of its closed in November.

The shop, which is owned by Southern Co-op, shut on November 25 after the terms of a new lease could not be confirmed.

A spokesperson for the company said: “Closing a store is always an extremely difficult decision and we are particularly saddened to be doing this at a time when our communities and the wider world are facing such unprecedented challenges.

“Southern Co-op entered into negotiations with the landlord of its store in Charlton Road back in August as the current lease is coming to an end and the rent was not commercially sustainable.

“Despite our efforts to avoid this situation and negotiate a new lease agreement, we have no other option but to close the Andover store on 25 November.

“Customers can continue to shop with us at our nearby store in East Anton Farm Road under two miles away and all of our colleagues have accepted roles at our nearby stores.”

Southern Co-op is one of a number of regional and independent co-operative societies which all use the same brand. It has been in existence for nearly 150 years.