Shoppers expressed their sadness on the final day of opening of a town centre store.
Marks & Spencer in St Mary Street, Weymouth officially closed on Tuesday, July 14 - shutting the doors for a final time at 6pm. A new M&S superstore has now opened at Weymouth Gateway retail park.
The town centre store first opened in 1932 and over the years has welcomed 'generations of customers.'
Throughout the day there seemed to be a constant flow of shoppers popping in and out of the shop.
Christine Smith from Portland said: "It will be much less convenient but I think if it wasn't going out there (to the Weymouth Gateway Retail Park) then we would be losing it altogether.
"As I was coming down, I passed two ladies who were leaving Weymouth, they were saying 'we won't come back again,' there's nothing here really."
Rachel Thomas, another local resident said: "It's really sad. There's really very little by way of shops where you can find this variety of choice. Lots of people use it for beach snacks and picnics.
"I think I will use the new one much less. I like to walk into town. It gets people walking rather than driving. I hope it will be replaced by something similar. The town will really miss it."
Rosalin Dewey was visiting Weymouth. She said: "It's been here for years. We have been coming to Weymouth for a long time and it's always been here. I'm shocked."
Rosalin explained that she catches the train into Weymouth so wouldn't use the new M&S store.
Sue Crook was visiting Weymouth from Yeovil. She said: "Since the last time I came to Weymouth, there's more empty shops. I couldn't believe that M&S was closing, but you don't come for the shops, you come for the ambiance."
Two shoppers who work in town and wished to remain anonymous said: "We are excited to see the new one open, but will really miss coming in on our lunch breaks."
Tina Toland said: "I think it's a shame, I will use the new one, but you have got a lot of through traffic here. It will be more convenient for me to get to, but not for a lot of other people, particularly those who don't drive."
The new M&S store at Weymouth Gateway Retail Park officially opened its doors at 9am today.
From now on, opening hours will be 8am-9pm from Monday-Saturday and 10.30am-4.30pm on Sunday (open for browsing from 10.15am).
READ MORE: Weymouth Marks and Spencer Gateway Park to open ...
All we know so far on new Weymouth Marks & Spencer
Closing date for M&S Weymouth high street store revealed
Dawn Rondeau-Irvine, Chief Operations Officer of We Are Weymouth: "The opening of the new M&S at Weymouth Gateway Retail Park this Wednesday is a strong vote of confidence in our town. It's a much bigger store than before, giving shoppers more choice, and as a key anchor brand it should bring extra footfall to the retail park - good news for the businesses trading alongside it.
"We know shoppers will miss having M&S in the town centre, and seeing the St Mary Street unit stand empty is disappointing. But we're already in talks with other retailers interested in that site, and we have plans to wrap the building to make it more appealing, we don't expect it to stay empty for long.
"As the biggest conurbation in Dorset, We Are Weymouth welcomes investment like this. It reinforces our town's appeal as a place to live, work, shop and invest, and it's another step forward for Weymouth's retail offer."
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