Coles Riverwood has shut its doors but the change could mean good things for Riverwood Plaza.
The shop officially closed last week and some customers say they were only aware of the closure a few days before when they noticed the shelves were empty.
Geoff White has been shopping at the store for years and was surprised to see signs advising the closure around a week before it was set to close.
‘’I liked the choice, finding that whatever Woolie's didn’t have, Coles generally did. I found them about equal for cost, as they would compete,’’ he said.
He’s concerned that without the competition Woolworths could up there price; instead he’s hoping a Aldi moves in.
Rumours of the closure began as far back as November.
Writing on the Coles Facebook page on November 2 Steve Fenech said he had heard rumours about the closure.
‘’Many people who use this store are frail and elderly and struggle to use Woolworths because the congestion and self-checkouts so you owe it to them to give them some notice, don’t you think?’’ he wrote.
Bronwyn Hanson, commenting on the post, said she had received a response from Coles that said there was no plans to close the store.
After querying that after talking to Riverwood staff she was later told that the store would indeed close on December 1.
A Coles spokeswoman said signs were put up advertising the closure inside and outside the store a few weeks ago.
No reason was given why the store was closed.
“We are grateful to our customers for their loyalty to our Riverwood store and want to assure the local community that we are committed to offering great quality, service and value at our Oatley West, Roselands and Revesby stores nearby,’’ she said.
‘’We also thank our fantastic team for their service to the community. All team members from the Riverwood store were able to keep their job at Coles and given the option to transfer to a Coles supermarket in the surrounding area.”
Coles leaving could be a plus for the plaza; acting as a catalyst for change.
Centre Manager Andrew Berkeley said they were in final negotiations for a replacement with an announcement expected soon.
He said the prospective tenants were interested in working with the owners to boost the facilities.
That’s in addition to a lift that was recently approved from the basement parking to the main shopping floor.