Empty shelves littered two Shropshire stores today as shoppers rushed to grab a final bargain before they close.

Woolworths branches in Oswestry and Market Drayton were closing for the final time today in the latest round of closures.

And hordes of shoppers flocked to the stores to grab a bargain and say goodbye to the much-loved stores.

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More than 800 branches of Woolies, as it is affectionately-known, are closing after administrators failed to find a buyer for the stricken chain.

Branches in Whitchurch, Newport and Leominster have already closed, while the remaining branches across Shropshire and Mid Wales are due to shut in the coming days.

Today, shoppers packed into the Oswestry and Market Drayton branches.

Julie Evans, of Whittington, said: “It’s sad, it’s a good handy store, it always has been. 

“It’s cheap and cheerful like it was always meant to be when it first opened.”

Today she had a last-minute look around, but said: “It’s virtually empty now.”

Bill Robbins, of Oswestry, said: “It’s really sad. A household name like Woolworths closing – it’s a sign of the times.”

Councillor Don Aldridge, a member of Oswestry Town Council, said: “It’s terrible. It’s a part of Oswestry. Everyone is very sorry it’s closing down.”

In Market Drayton, Michael Simpson, from Tern Hill, said the end of Woolworths would leave “a big gap, both physically and emotionally.”

He said: “In Market Drayton there’s no other retailer of this type. It’s a mix type and we wont see the like of it again. It’s all part of the decline of shopping in market towns.

“Any loss of employment is terrible. If there’s an alternative, it’s okay, but in this climate there’s not. It’s a big loss for Market Drayton because there’s nothing else.”

Paulette Harrison, said: “It’s very sad. I remember the old fashioned Woolworths when everything was sixpence. It was a delight to wander around and think you could actually afford to buy something. As a little girl I always used to love all the sparkly things.

“It’s a major retailer, and somewhere you can get odds and ends.”