Booze traders in Calais may well have that sinking feeling right as they face major alcohol retailers abandoning ship.

Calais was once the mecca for bargain wines and birthplace of the British Booze but these days British wine bargain hunters are few and far between.

This coastal French town is now languishing in the aftermath of the recession and the terrible performance of the £ against the euro.

In its hey day, Brits would make their way for savings up to £10 on a bottle of champagne and up to £5 on a bottle of wine. Add this to the great bargains to be had on goodies in the Hypermarkets and a shopping spree in Calais left British shoppers quids in.

This weekend Sainsburys has announced the closure of its Calais Wine store at the end of June.

A Sainsbury's spokesman said: "Sainsbury's and Auchan have made the difficult decision to close Sainsbury's Calais."

Sainsbury's are advising customers to call before they come and are no longer taking any online orders.

Rival Tesco is undergoing consultations with their staff about the closure if its Tesco Vin Plus outlet in Cite Europe, and Oddbins Calais, an outlet that closed earlier this year. will not be renewing its franchise deal.

Even major retailers like Majestic who have three stores have seen a downturn in sales of 28%, but they intend to remain open for business.

It's a sad day for the much coveted Booze Cruise.

21 June 2010