A BELOVED Budgens supermarket has closed its doors to residents after 12 successful years of serving the local community.

The store shut down on Saturday, November 24 and had suffered a lot of competition over the years, so it closed purely down to an ‘economic decision’.

Vince Maloney and his brother Dennis opened Maloney Budgens in 2006 and bought the store to be an independent local supermarket – set in the heart of Ascot.

Vince said: “I am so sad that we have had to do this, it’s twelve years that we’ve been here, and I am just up to my eyeballs, but we have come to a viable decision to close.

“I work at the Ascot store 90 per cent of the time, I live here in Ascot and I’m known as Mr Budgens so people have got to know me over the years.”

Anne Yarwood, a local resident said: “I am disheartened he wasn’t supported enough, after 12 years.

“It is not just the convenience of the store but the friendship with staff. It was a real community meeting hub and they did all sort of things to help others.”

Anne and her husband David shopped in Maloney Budgens every day for fifty years when they moved to Windsor Road, Ascot.

Her husband shares many fond memories of discussing the Liverpool football scores with George who works at the store.

The 84-year-old said: “It brings tears to my eyes, I can’t express my sadness about it.

“We feel stricken and Vince is an outstanding retailer, together with his brother - Vince has been imaginative with marketing ideas and friendly to so very many of us.”

In 2017, Maloney’s Budgens sold its Shepperton branch to Sainsburys.

The company said its store in Virginia Water, Surrey is not affected and has even been granted planning permission to extend the store in the following year.