Budgens traded in Bourne for over 25 years, initially in antiquated surroundings at premises in West Street, now the Superdrug store, and later from a purpose built supermarket in the Burghley Centre.

The shopping complex was opened in 1989 after a £1½ million investment by a property developer on the old cattle market site that also includes a mall with 14 retail units and a car park with 170 spaces. First signs boded well for the future with the store being well patronised and in 2000 the facility was improved with the expansion of the delicatessen and bakery as well as more staff at the checkouts.

But the new look did not last and as the years went by, services were curtailed and staffing became a problem and recently it is not always a happy experience shopping there although not everyone by any means is dissatisfied and there were some who did obviously find it convenient. Then, in August 1999, Sainsburys opened their new supermarket in Exeter Street which has been enjoying a remarkable popularity ever since, always busy and already reaping the fruits of a major expansion in October 2003 with the addition of new aisles and extra shelf space, a coffee shop and more car parking. It was inevitable that the remaining supermarkets, Rainbow, Tesco Express and McColls as well as Budgens, would feel the strain.

The writing had been on the wall for Budgens for many months while high prices and inefficiency put them off limits to many shoppers. After several denials by the management about possible closure, the store eventually shut on Monday 1st April 2008 despite attempts by the upmarket Waitrose to take over. This company acquired the lease and promised employment to the existing workers but after some investigation, decided that it would not be commercially viable.

A spokesman for Waitrose said: "We do not propose to trade at the store in Bourne for commercial reasons. It was a decision made after long and careful consideration. We will specifically be targeting food retailers to purchase the shop and are hopeful that we can conclude a deal as soon as possible. We understand the disappointment this will cause, particularly for the branch employees of Budgens who will receive a redundancy package and be given full support to find alternative positions elsewhere."

The 24 staff were paid off and the supermarket closed and within a few days the premises had taken on a forlorn air with the signs removed, the windows shuttered, litter gathering outside on the pavement, the cash machine not working and by evening, gangs of youngsters were using the frontage as a play area.