The village of Barger-Compascuum will lose its only supermarket by the end of the year. Operators Elsbeth Maatman and Jeroen Koopman pull the plug. Literally and figuratively, because the high energy prices were the reason for the difficult decision. The store closes in December.
According to Koopman, he and his partner had been thinking about quitting for a while. “Last week we finally made the decision. Energy prices have been weighing on our company for some time now.” According to the manager, a renovation of the building is actually necessary to make the building more energy-efficient.
The money for this surgery is just not there. “So we saw no other solution than to stop.” The government measures are too inadequate for the Compascumer supermarket. “Partly because they only take effect from the second quarter.”
The decision has now been passed on to the Spar, the chain of which the store is part. Koopman and Maatman have been running the supermarket since 2016. In that year they took over the store from the then owner. Before that they worked as an employee in the supermarket.
Koopman regrets this outcome. “It’s a real shame. Also for the village and people who really depended on this store for their groceries.”