Saturday marked the end of an era when a long-running Hanley store shut its doors for the final time – but some customers were unaware of its impending closure last week.

Boarding up next to the Iceland branch in Charles Street proclaims the future vision for the area as Stoke-on-Trent City Council's Etruscan Square redevelopment – and last weekend that redevelopment took another step forward.

A Stoke-on-Trent City Council spokesperson said: "As part of the £20 million Etruscan Square development, Iceland Food Ltd will vacate its Charles Street store and surrender the lease. This will allow work to move forward on phase one of the development, helping to regenerate Hanley as a place to live, work, shop and visit.

"Iceland has confirmed that all affected staff will be offered alternative roles at other stores."

The store has been serving shoppers at the Charles Street Building for well over 20 years, according to loyal customers.

And over the past two decades it has witnessed many changes to the nearby streetscene, such as the relocation of the bus station to the opposite side of Lichfield Street and the demolition of the old East-West Precinct.

The Etruscan Square site is earmarked for new city centre homes. The redevelopment is part of a wider masterplan to transform the city centre into a 'more vibrant, connected and welcoming space' by 2050.

But last week the Iceland store still seemed to be bustling, with customers passing through the doors on a regular basis.

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Signs of its impending closure were placed at the front door and window however, advising shoppers that it would be permanently shut from 4pm on Saturday.

Philip Cartlidge, 78, of Hanley, said: "I'm shocked really. I've been going to this shop since it opened a long time ago, when you want a smaller shop it's ideal.

"It will be missed. It's going to be just Tesco and Lidl left, but sometimes you don't feel like walking up that bank.

"I know it's probably going to be redeveloped here but it's a shame it's closing. It could go into one of the empty shops in the shopping centre."

Fellow pensioners Alan and Cathy Kidner said: "We didn't know it was closing and we go here all the time. We've been coming in for 25 years.

"There's going to be nothing left in Hanley with shops shutting, it's ridiculous. You go into the Potteries and there is a shop shutting every down every month."

Hanley resident Imran Tahir was also unaware the Iceland branch was set to shut this weekend. He said: "It's down to the council doing something, thinking they run everything.

"I'm really not happy and there are a lot of customers. Why don't they develop somewhere else, why here?"

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A Longton resident, who went into the store while waiting for her daughter to finish a class at the Royal Voluntary Service Centre next door, highlighted its convenient location. "It's terrible – I didn't think it was being closed that quickly.

"I'm worried for quite a few of the people next door who come out of there, do their shopping and go and catch a bus because it's not far from the bus station."

The Iceland Food Warehouse, on Century Retail Park, in Hanley is set to remain open. There are also Iceland branches in Longton and Tunstall and an Iceland Food Warehouse at Trent Vale.