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THE Morrisons supermarket chain is remaining tight-lipped on its plans for taking on the former Waitrose store in Helensburgh.
The Cardross Road building closed for the last time as a Waitrose on the evening of Sunday, May 3, following the announcement in late March that the site had been bought by Morrisons.
Local MSP Jackie Baillie said earlier this week that she understood Waitrose would retain ownership of the building until June 1, to allow time to empty it of fixtures and fittings.
Ms Baillie said she expected the town would have to wait "for a few months" for the site to reopen as a Morrisons store.
READ MORE: Morrisons 'to take on former Waitrose store in Helensburgh on June 1', says town's MSP
The Advertiser contacted Morrisons seeking a response to Ms Baillie's comments; a spokeswoman said the firm had nothing to add to the statement it issued last week, when it said the handover was expected to take place “this summer” and that work would start thereafter on converting the building.
Ms Baillie also expressed disappointment that it would apparently take a month for Waitrose to empty the store.
In response, a Waitrose spokesman said: “We understand these are very challenging times for everyone and we are very sorry that we were unable to postpone the closure.
“The kind messages we have continued to receive since Sunday further underlines how much we will miss being part of the town.”
READ MORE: Helensburgh faces long wait for Morrisons as Waitrose prepares to close down
Ms Baillie's statement, issued in a news release on Tuesday, sparked plenty of comment on the Advertiser's social media channels, with more than one former employee at the Waitrose store saying they "don't know where this information has come from".
On the Advertiser's Facebook page, Lynsey McBride said: "Over the past few weeks during these hard times the partners of Waitrose Helensburgh have been working hard to ensure the best possible service was given to the public whilst closing down the store.
"Our final days have consisted of transferring stock and cleaning the store to allow the handover of the premises and I personally could not be prouder of my colleagues during this time."
READ MORE: Waitrose store manager says 'thank you, Helensburgh' ahead of supermarket's closure
Another Facebook reader, Catherine Mary, added: "All the partners of Waitrose Helensburgh take great pride in the work they do and have worked tirelessly through these uncertain times to not only continue to serve the public but to clear the store out.
"I am far from 'disappointed' in my former colleagues and am intrigued to know where this information came from."
Waitrose announced in early March that its Helensburgh store would be closing as a result of disappointing financial results for its parent company, the John Lewis Partnership.
Morrisons' purchase of the site was confirmed four weeks later.
READ MORE: Catch up with all the latest news headlines from around Helensburgh and Lomond here
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