Food and produce was ruined by floodwater at the Solar supermarket in Halstead as the River Colne burst its banks.
Rising floodwaters overflowed and washed in to the supermarket and department store at Weaver's Court.
A fire engine from Halstead, one from Colchester and a rescue boat were called to the Bridge Street area at 1.26am and evacuated people from nearby properties too.
More than six-inches of water lay in the food store, with less water on the department store.
For more information on the floods, see stories starting 'Floods: ...' in the drop-down menu at the bottom of this article
More flooding information on the Environment Agency website at http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk A "substantial" amount of damage has been caused and the store is today closed.
The spokesman said: "This is a pretty major disaster from our point of view. Anything standing on the floors has been affected."
The flooding in Halstead town centre
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