This Albert Heijn, the smallest in our country, disappears on Saturday, residents in disbelief: ‘This is so stupid!’ | Domestic

Some people get a croissant there every day, others come there for a good conversation with the neighbor. The Albert Heijn, with its 90 square meters the smallest branch in our country, has been an indispensable factor in Naarden-Vesting for years. “This is so much more than a shop,” resident Rob Coppenhagen told this site. ,,It is a community. Many elderly and single people live in Naarden and meet here every day. It is the vibrant heart of our community, the hearts of its residents, that is now being broken in a very nasty way. It’s terrible.”

To save Albert Heijn from closure, Coppenhagen and five other residents started a petition. It has been signed almost 1900 times. ‘I am appalled by Albert Heijn’s decision to close my little app! I pop in there almost every day to run an errand and often meet fellow townspeople,” someone wrote. ‘This is a disaster for us. Turn this back!’, another reported.

The closure strikes a chord not only among the elderly, but also among the youth. 14-year-old Ole made a moving report on YouTube in which he asks older residents to explain why the departure of this supermarket is causing a lot of sadness. “I have difficulty walking,” says Ek van Zanten (90), who has lived in ‘the fortress’ for decades. “I rely on the shops in the area. But now I’m losing my independence. I lose my basic need.”

The ‘Appie’, as the residents affectionately call their shop, has been providing the ‘much-needed liveliness’ in their fortified town for years, from which other entrepreneurs benefit. “Closing takes away the daily traffic, then you only see a few tourists,” says Ole’s report. Josje Stuurwold is one of the victims who speaks. She says that she chose Naarden-Vesting so that she can do her shopping while walking, so she can stay fit and so she does not have to go to a home. “For me, the AH has a social function. I think there is now a very big problem for the people here.” She addresses Ahold directly. “Guys, think about it! This can certainly continue, even if you get slightly less profit from it.”

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Together with the local bakery, the supermarket is the only store in Naarden-Vesting where residents can do their shopping. For many older residents, traveling to the larger branch outside the fortified city is too big and often impossible, says petition initiator Rob Coppenhagen. “As Ahold, you should make a mark with this store. As a mega company you show your human face. But they succumb to the big money. So incredibly stupid. And morally so incredibly bad. It just makes me speechless.”

The sadness is so great that the flag will fly at half-mast in the city on Saturday. A bagpiper will embellish the sadness in an appropriate tone. “Everyone here is in a grave mood, so we thought it was appropriate. But above all, we are extremely angry that such a large company ignores the significance of such a supermarket. And to their staff, those lovely hardworking people. We are going to support them on Saturday. They really deserved it.”

Albert Heijn previously reported in a response that it certainly did not make this decision overnight. “It is the result of several factors. We understand that customers are sad that our store in Naarden-Vesting is closing and we appreciate their involvement.”

It is not yet known how the building will be completed. The residents hope for an entrepreneur who wants to enrich their city with a small-scale supermarket. “Because,” says an older resident in the report, “if the Appie disappears, everyone here in Naarden will sit in silence.”

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