Fife Council “bent over backwards” in its efforts to save Kirkcaldy’s Tesco store.
Administration leader David Ross said efforts will now be made to determine the future of the site, after the supermarket giant confirmed it would be closing for good on Saturday April 4.
The news, broken to staff on Thursday, followed a high-profile campaign to save the outlet and its 179 jobs, backed by local politicians and Fife Council.
With Tesco confirming that its mind will not be changed, however, Mr Ross said the focus must now shift towards determining the future of the unit, managed by the Threadneedle company, which is one of the biggest sites in the town centre.
“I am bitterly disappointed by Tesco’s decision,” he told The Courier.
“Gordon Brown did a great job in leading the campaign and Fife Council bent over backwards to try and save the store.
“Going forward, we will now work with Threadneedle to see what we can do in both the short and long term.”
Initial news of the closure broke in January, with Tesco taking the decision in response to poor financial results. The Kirkcaldy outlet was named as one of 43 “unprofitable” stores that would shut its doors to “protect the future of the business”.
A mass Valentine’s Day rally and frequent meetings between politicians and Tesco executives have taken place since.
There were initial hopes that a resolution could be found, with officials from Tesco and Fife Council meeting as recently as this week to discuss future business rates.
One staff member said there had remained hope the supermarket could be saved after the politicians intervened.
“Things had been building up the staff were looking for good news,” he said. “The more time went by, the more hope we got.
“Gordon Brown was in the store speaking to staff recently and we were upbeat about things.”
The final nail in the coffin was delivered yesterday when a Tesco spokesman said: “It is with great sadness that we confirm our Kirkcaldy store will close on April 4.
“We would like to thank Gordon Brown and Fife Council for all their efforts to keep the store open over recent weeks.
“Nobody could have done more and we are very grateful to them for exploring all possible routes to improve the viability of the store. We have been humbled by the goodwill of customers in Kirkcaldy and regret that it has not been possible to find a way to make the store viable.
“We would like to thank everyone who has shopped with us and to pay tribute to our colleagues in Kirkcaldy for the dedicated service they have given the local community over many years.”