Empty shelves greeted customers at Gillingham and Twydall Woolworths on Tuesday on their final day of business.

A sign in the windows informed customers the last day had arrived, with 70 per cent discounts on some items.

Customers picking up final bargains in the High Street store were sad about the closure.

Sylvia Smith, from Gillingham Road, Gillingham, said: “It is very sad it is closing. Years ago I used to get my presents there – it has been there for years.

“There are so many different shops now that sell different things. That’s the problem, I think.

Alan Hare, of Corporation Road, Gillingham, said the shop closure was terrible.

He added: “It is a shame they could not save it. It’s probably the supermarkets which have killed off the chain.

“I remember they used to sell boxes of smashed up biscuits, and it was always good for CDs. I will miss it.”

Ivy Walker, of Woodchurch Crescent, Twydall, said she had fond memories of the shop in Gillingham High Street, as both her late mother and sister worked there.

Mrs Walker said: “It has been here for years, it’s a bit of a shock to the system. "I think it's both the competition and the recession that has led to this.”

Maxine Bodkin, an employee at jewellers F Hinds, opposite Woolworths, said she hoped to see a shop replace Woolworths which would attract younger shoppers.

Ms Bodkin added: “It’s really sad but unfortunately it is a sign of the times.

“I feel so sad for the staff there but I feel they deserve praise.

"This has been hanging over them for weeks and they have still worked hard through it.”

The store in High Street, Chatham, will close on Friday and the branch in Strood will close on Monday .

Hundreds of jobs in Medway will be lost, after administrator Deloitte said it had failed to find a buyer for the collapsed retailer. Its administration was announced in November.

Medway has the largest concentration of Woolworths stores in Kent.