The Co-op has announced that its Leicester Haymarket supermarket will shut on February 14.
Less than a month ago, the Mercury heard rumours the store could close, but the company's headquarters in Manchester denied it at the time.
However, this week the announcement was made that the store in the Haymarket shopping centre would close with the loss of seven full-time and 41 part-time staff.
A spokeswoman for the Co-op said: "We will be surrendering the lease on our store when it expires next month.
"It will, therefore, close as a Co-operative food store on Saturday February 14.
"Staff at the store have been informed of the decision, which has been taken with the greatest reluctance and is not, in any way, a reflection on the commitment and hard work of the store team.
"Every effort is being made to redeploy as many as possible of the staff with The Co-operative, or to help them find alternative employment."
The news was expected by some shoppers yesterday but came as a surprise to others.
Bea Harris, 68, who lives in the Tudour Road area of Leicester, said: "I had expected it to close - it's so expensive.
"I don't think I'll miss it. There's Iceland over the road and the market that are much cheaper.
"I just went into the Co-op to get a box of tissues and they were £3 so I'm going to Poundland instead."
A 50-year-old woman, who did not want to be named, said: "It's a shame. I use it a lot because it has good bargains and a good selection compared to Tesco. I shop here a lot.
"A lot of things are closing in the Haymarket and it's going down and down.
"Luckily I've got another Co-op near me that I can use and that one's staying open, touch wood."
Stephen Murphy, 61, of Braunstone, said: "I only went in today to check the lottery results. I stopped shopping here 'cause it was too dear."
Pavan Hundal, who works at the Pixie clothes shop in the centre, said: "I'm really surprised it's going. I think there will be less people coming into the centre because many of them come for food.
"It's going to be bad to lose it and I'm going to miss their meal deals on sandwiches myself."
An employee of Jeans & Jeans, next door, said: "The Co-op brings a lot of people to the Haymarket, particularly old people who don't want to walk far.
"They can get off their bus and come into the centre, sit on the benches and chat with their friends and then pick up their shopping and go home.
"It will be bad for them because there's nowhere else so close to a bus station - some may stop coming into the city when it shuts.
"But it's also bad for the other businesses here.
"The footfall is going to go down it's going to leave a big hole."
