There’s good and bad news for Wokingham town centre this week, with one new business coming to the town at the same time as a prominent shop has announced its closure later this month.
Romans Repairs has installed signage in the former Aroma unit in Denmark Street.
The tech repair and sales company has an existing business in west London but did not respond to enquiries from Wokingham Today for comment about its plans for the town.
The unit had recently been listed for rent at £13,400 per annum.
Elsewhere, the Co-op food convenience store in Market Place has revealed it is about to close.
A poster in the shop says the store will close permanently on Friday, January 23, at 10pm.
Southern Co-op told Wokingham Today: “Last year, we announced plans to divest 22 of our directly managed stores as part of our ongoing programme to optimise our store portfolio and strengthen our long-term operating model.
“This included the sale of 20 stores to two third-party retailers, with a further two to be transferred to franchisees operating under our Welcome business.
“To date, five stores have successfully completed, seven are due to finalise by the end of February 2026 and five remain in the legal process.
“However, given external factors, the third-party purchasers withdrew from the proposed acquisition of five sites, one of which was Wokingham, Market Place.
“Unfortunately, and despite extensive efforts, we have not been able to secure an alternative buyer for this location and as a result, we have made a considered and difficult decision to begin consultation on closing this store at the end of January 2026.
“Affected colleagues have been informed, and we will work closely with them to explore opportunities within our stores or elsewhere within Southern Co‑op.
“Where redeployment is not possible, roles will regrettably be at risk of redundancy but we are committed to supporting all impacted colleagues throughout this process.”
This follows last week’s news of the imminent closure of The Original Factory Shop, also in Market Place.
