The intercom crackled

This poem traces the rise and fall of the out-of-town superstore — once a place of bargains, announcements, and convenience, later a hollow centre that quietly replaced the very town it helped erase. Through tannoy voices, rolling baskets, and abandoned local shops, it charts how community life was absorbed, repackaged, and ultimately discarded.By the time the intercom speaks again, announcing closure, the irony is complete: the town is gone, the store is going, and there is nowhere left to shop.A poem about consumer culture, convenience, and the unintended cost of progress — told with dark humour and a very British shrug.