It’s the end of the line for an Andover wholesaler as the last cage was shipped out before it closes for good.

As previously reported, Booker Retail Partners, located on the Walworth Industrial Estate, is closing its Andover distribution centre and consolidating its operations in Didcot after deciding its site in town was too small for its needs.

One of the employees of the firm described it as “the end of an era” as the last cage was loaded onto a lorry.

Booker was founded in the 1800s as a shipping firm by George and Richard Booker, and gives its name to the literary award the Booker Prize. It owns retailers Budgens and Londis, and in 2018 merged with Tesco in a deal worth billions of pounds.

News of the distribution centre’s impending closure was announced in November, with company bosses turning up to the site on November 17 to hold meetings with staff, with suppliers being turned away.

Redundancies were on the cards, though staff were also offered the possibility of being relocated to the Didcot site as operations shifted.

Subsequently, on November 20, Booker Retail Partners confirmed to the Advertiser that the site would close in 2021.

They said: “The lease on the Booker Retail Partners distribution site at Andover has expired. BRP have conducted a review and because Budgens and Londis are growing strongly we require more space. As a result, we are proposing to close the distribution centre in the second quarter of next year.

“We will transfer the operation to our Didcot site, which has two and a half times more space, additional freezer capacity and will support further growth opportunities. This will help enhance the service we provide to our retailers to help them grow and prosper in a challenging market.

“With regret, as a consequence some colleagues are at risk of redundancy and we are at the start of the consultation process. We will be working hard to minimise the number of colleagues affected by this and will be fully supporting them to find other roles within the group."

Subsequently, on Friday, May 7, the last cage was loaded up by staff into the back of a lorry, as the centre winds down its operations, with staff there to see the end of this chapter of the company’s history.