Waitrose has announced that it will close its Huntingdon branch on September 5, despite calls from thousands of shoppers and an offer from its landlords.

The high-end chain has made the announcement today that will see the company exercise the break clause in its lease.

The store, in St Benedict’s Court, is to close after it was felt that it “required significant investment which is unlikely to allow the shop to be profitable over the long-term”.

Neil Westbrook, Waitrose head of retail operations, said: “This is very much a last resort but, despite the best efforts of all concerned, we have not been able to find a way to make the shop profitable in the long-term given the significant investment needed.

“We understand the disappointment this will cause and are incredibly grateful to those who have expressed their support.

“Our absolute priority is our store partners [employees] and we will support them in any way we can over the coming months.”

Last week The Hunts Post revealed that landlords, Columbia Threadneedle, had offered a proposal to keep the doors open but it was not enough to rescue it.

A petition was also started to save the branch, which is now 40-years-old, by district council member for Huntingdon, Councillor Ste Greenall.

Thousands of people have signed the petition since the announcement and shared ideas of how to keep the store open.