Shoppers have greeted Wednesday's news of Trimingham's demise with shock.

However, while almost all expressed concern for employees of the store, many reserved further comment, saying they did not yet know enough about the details surrounding the closure of the Bermudian institution.

Even so, several questioned the store's purchase of neighbouring retailer Smith's a year ago. "You've got two large failing businesses, and somehow they thought that merging to become one huge failing business would solve the problem," one man who did not wish to be named said during a street survey following the announcement. "What were they thinking?"

But others said the news seemed all the more shocking because of the Smith's purchase, feeling that the buy-out had been an indication that the business was going strong.

Trimingham's has denied that the purchase of Smith's was the cause of the store's demise, saying many other factors in the business environment had contributed to the challenges facing the store.

Eleven-year old Eden, who did not want to give her last name, said she would miss the store. Her mother, who also wished to remain anonymous, said she was "basically shocked". The loss was huge, she said ? especially with competing department store Cooper's closed for renovations. "Where is there to shop now?"

Teresa, 20, who also did not wish to give her last name, said she did not shop at the store that much ? yet even so it was something she had always counted on being there. "My grandmother's very upset about it," she added. "That store has been there for all her life."

Another shopper, one of the many on the streets on Wednesday carrying a trademark Trimingham's bag, said she was particularly disappointed about the loss of Brother's Cafe, the eatery inside the department store. "They just revamped that place," she said. "They spent all that money and now they're closing it down. But the sandwiches there are amazing ? the food's so good!"

"I've shopped there for many years," another woman said. "I feel the most pain for the people working there. I hope they are being taken care of, that they get a nice package.

"I also hope this doesn't drive more Bermudians to shop overseas in the US ? but I'm afraid it will."