A former supermarket in Clacton is looking for a new tenant after standing empty for three years.

Sainsbury’s, in High Street, closed in 2021 a year after bosses announced it would be shutting.

Alternative roles were sought for members of staff affected by the closure. 

Since February 2021, the building has been boarded up. 

Empty - The site has been empty since 2021Empty - The site has been empty since 2021 (Image: Google Street View)

Now, the former supermarket site, measuring 30,000sq ft, is on the market with Lamb and Co property agents in Clacton. 

The retail site is listed with “potential for redevelopment” at a guide price between £1,800,000 and £2million. 

The listing says: “The property offers extensive frontage along the High Street and vehicular access via Carnarvon Road.  

“Sitting on a site of approximately one acre, the property offers scope for potential redevelopment for a mixed-use commercial/residential scheme.” 

With the new arrival of retail parks on the outskirts of towns, such as the Brook Retail Park in London Road, Clacton, supermarkets have moved out of towns all over the country. 

Graham Webb, chairman of the Clacton Town Partnership, said in 2021 that the rising popularity of retail parks was a worry for town centres everywhere, including Clacton. 

Speaking to the Gazette after the closure of the Sainsbury site, he said: “We have been told Sainsbury’s is closing because of a rent increase, which is unbelievable given today’s situation, and is mind-bogglingly bad for the town. 

“The other store is small, so is not going to be able to take on many staff, so I worry for people’s jobs. 

“And if more and more retail parks keep getting built, it is only going to make things worse for the town centre. 

“There is going to be nowhere in the town centre for people to go to and it is going to make everything much harder for businesses.”