The owner of Coopers supermarkets believes the future for independent businesses is still bright despite selling one of his three stores to a supermarket giant.

David Cooper, managing director of Coopers, said selling the Edward Street store to Morrisons in February was in the best interest of his firm. Morrisons was due to take over the store yesterday.

Coopers first store was opened in Bank Street, Melksham, in 1944, and was run by David Cooper’s mother and father, Basil and Olive.

The family-run business, which also has stores in Bath and Wincanton, bought the Edward Street supermarket from Cullens in 1985.

Speaking to the Wiltshire Times this week, Mr Cooper said: “Family run and independent businesses have had to change direction in the last five to 10 years but they remain a very important and progressive force within the industry.

“We were approached by Morrisons and we decided it was in the best interest of the company to sell to them.

“Morrisons are an extremely good trading group with much experience of stores this size and larger and I’m sure they’ll take the store onwards and upwards."

Morrisons has closed the store until the autumn for a refit, with Coopers 70-strong workforce undergoing training at the chain’s Devizes store in the mean time.

While the store is closed, Morrisons will be running a free bus service to its branch in Devizes.

The buses, which will run on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, will leave Westbury at 9am and 12pm, and will return at 12.30pm and 2.30pm.

For the full interview and the latest information about the hunt for someone to run a central post office in Westbury, see Friday's Wiltshire Times.