Overview

• Booths will shut its Marshall Way branch in Ripon after failing to generate a profit over 16 years of trading.
• Tesco is set to assume the lease of the former Booths site, ensuring the store remains open under a new operator.
• Local shoppers and business owners have voiced disappointment at losing Booths’ distinctive product range and community atmosphere.
• Ripon MP Sir Julian Smith welcomed Tesco’s involvement as a positive sign for the city’s future retail landscape.
• The closure highlights wider pressures on UK retailers, including high operating costs, a shift to online shopping, and wage and tax increases predicted to cost the sector billions.