A MAJOR national retailer has closed its doors on York and Selby for the final time.

Kwik Save has announced 79 of its stores will close at the end of today. Stores at Clifton Moor, in York, Selby and Wetherby are among those included in the scale-back of operations.

The shops were closed to the public yesterday, with staff finishing their shifts and packing up stock this afternoon.

A spokeswoman for the food retailer said: "It is with regret that Kwik Save has had to make this difficult decision.

"However, in order to enable the business to succeed, the Kwik Save management team has had to announce these cutbacks to secure the future of the business.

"Kwik Save would like to thank all of its staff affected by this regrettable situation, for their commitment to the company over the years."

A worker at the York store, who asked not to be named, said: "It makes me feel very, very sad. I've been there ten years - one of the girls has been there since it opened 15 years ago. It's the customers too. We get a lot of elderly customers in who don't like going to the bigger supermarkets.

"They want to go somewhere less busy, where they can have a chat with staff. Now the nearest Kwik Save is in Leeds."

Brian Percival, Selby District Council's deputy leader, said he was surprised by the news, in light of the fire at Somerfield, in Abbey Walk, Selby, over the weekend.

"The timing is a little startling, given the diminished sales area Somerfield can offer at the moment," he said.

"At the present time, Selby has a market for that category of store.

"One of my concerns is that we're getting a dominance of the majors, at the expense of the minor stores in Selby."