Bye-bye Wellcome: Biggest and best supermarket will close in three weeks

It is official: Wellcome, Sai Kung’s biggest and best, conveniently located supermarket, will close on 25 February. Alert reader Graham Eckersley* was right.
The news comes from a PR agency called Golin — copyline: “Our sole purpose is to keep our clients relevant.” After this hilarious statement they say on behalf of their client, “Wellcome Sai Kung superstore will operate until February 25 and we will soon communicate this with our customers.” Gary Lai writing for Golin says Wellcome’s customers will then be able to buy the supermarket’s products from the Chui Tong store (Lakeside Gardens) or from Wellcome Delivers.

This is ludicrous. There is no way the Chui Tong store can replace the big supermarket in the centre of town. The Lakeside Gardens store is in an isolated location hidden away inside an estate. Also, it’s tiny by comparison.  Golin’s Gary makes no mention of whether Wellcome is seeking a replacement site in Sai Kung. A PR agency can say only what its client approves.
Graham told SAI KUNG BUZZ he learned from a Wellcome manager that the big store here would close, then called the Dairy Farm head office for confirmation. The site recently changed hands and the new landlord has promised it to ParknShop. (Graham commented that it is a wonder Wellcome and the landlord have not been sued by an elderly person who had fallen after negotiating those stairs, sometimes slippery, laden with bags. Why doesn’t the landlord put in an escalator? Graham asked.)

At least Wellcome replied to BUZZ’s enquiry. Emails and telephone calls have elicited nothing from the impenetrable ParknShop. Will Fusion in Centro close? What about the Fuk Man Road ParknShop?
*Thank you for the tip-off, Graham.