A man in his 90s died after a medical incident at Waitrose in Ashley Road, Parkstone, on Wednesday, June 17, and the store was closed for the rest of the day.
Dorset Police said it was first told at 12.39pm that the man needed medical assistance, while South Western Ambulance Service said it was called at 12:22hrs and sent two double-crewed land ambulances and a responding officer to the scene. The man was pronounced dead at the shop by the ambulance service.
For shoppers and staff, the change was immediate and unmistakable. A note in the window said the store would remain shut due to unforeseen circumstances and reopen at 8am the next day. The closure came as emergency services descended on the shop in response to the incident.
Dorset Police said the death is not being treated as suspicious, and the coroner has been notified. The man's next of kin has also been informed. That leaves the cause of the medical emergency unanswered, but not the circumstances around it: a customer died at the store, the emergency response was swift, and the formal steps that follow a sudden death were already underway by Wednesday evening.
Waitrose said it was deeply saddened to hear about the death of one of its customers and grateful to the paramedics and its partners for their quick response. The store was due to reopen at 8am on Thursday, June 18, but for the family now notified, the larger story is already settled: a routine visit ended in a death that police do not believe was suspicious.
