Mayor backing Morrisons bid (From Witney Gazette)
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Mayor backing Morrisons bid
12:00pm Wednesday 6th March 2013 in News
By Tom Jennings, covering Witney and West Oxfordshire. Call me on 01865 425403
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Duncan Mathieson, of Realis Estates, by the units in Welch Way. Picture: OX57601 Jon Lewis
WITNEY Mayor Harry Eaglestone has welcomed plans to build a new Morrisons store in the town centre.
He said: “It is good news because Morrisons has always been very competitive with its prices. “When you read about shops that are empty in other towns and high streets, it just shows that Witney is doing very well in comparison.”
The supermarket giant will create a ‘local’ shop in two units at a five-unit development in Welch Way, opposite Marriotts Walk Shopping Centre.
Morrisons joins coffee shop Costa, toy store The Entertainer and an as-yet-unnamed store in the units, which developer Realis Estates hopes to complete by Easter.
The Morrisons M store will open in June and sell fresh fruit, vegetables, meat, fish and bakery, as well as other groceries.
Business leaders agreed with the mayor that Witney is bucking the national trend of declining high streets.
Chamber of Commerce chairman Lesley Semaine said: “A big name coming to Witney shows we are still expanding and the town is becoming more popular.
“I think there are far more reasons to come to Witney now than Oxford and Swindon.”
But she questioned the need for a shop similar to those already in Witney and the lack of independent retailers opening in the new development.
She added: “I hope as well as the big names coming to Witney we get a few more independents so we can have a balance. That is very important to keep the town thriving as it is.”
Morrisons will take a 3,250 sq ft double unit, larger than those taken by The Entertainer (2,400 sq ft) and Costa (1,250 sq ft).
The company will not require planning permission to change the use.
Realis Estates said it was in discussions with “several popular high street brands” interested in the remaining 1,305 sq ft unit.
Managing director Duncan Mathieson said: “To have secured tenants for four out of the five units before the scheme is completed is a fantastic achievement.
“The range of operators in this development makes it an important addition to the town and greatly improves the link between High Street and Marriotts Close.”
Comments(13)
H.J.Harris
says...
12:35pm Wed 6 Mar 13
Hopefully it will make smaller shops feel it is worthwhile moving in as long as the costs are reasonable.
I thought Morrisons is a British owned company.
online_reader
says...
4:05pm Wed 6 Mar 13
maysie
says...
4:19pm Wed 6 Mar 13
oxongirl
says...
5:53pm Wed 6 Mar 13
H.J.Harris
says...
7:50pm Wed 6 Mar 13
oxongirl wrote:I think I saw a notice in their window before the shop closed down saying they hoped to re-open in Marriot's Walk.
Can we have Merlins back please?
Phian
says...
5:44am Thu 7 Mar 13
oxongirl wrote:even better, bring back "Soppy Sam's" , or is that going back too far ?
Can we have Merlins back please?
oh such nostalgia.
xjohnx
says...
9:03am Thu 7 Mar 13
online_reader wrote:That's a lot of money being exported.
Morrisons is a British company, their head office is in Thornbury, Bradford. The only store they have outside of the UK is in Gibraltar. They do have a Hong Kong office for the purpose of sourcing products from China and the Far East to sell in the UK.
Do we really need to transport supermarket goods half way round the world.
P.S. Ikea imported cake contaminated with sewage. It came from China. Cake shipped round the world. Madness!
PPS Morrisons shares are largely held by overseas businesses.
PDplum
says...
8:21am Fri 8 Mar 13
In this economy we don't want expensive bespoke items. We want to be able to afford to but the products on sale!
WitneyGreen
says...
8:01pm Fri 8 Mar 13
Mjacks
says...
10:48am Sat 9 Mar 13
the wizard
says...
9:25pm Mon 11 Mar 13
But she questioned the need for a shop similar to those already in Witney and the lack of independent retailers opening in the new development.
and she is the landlady of a pub, so don't we have enough of those in EVERY town, all of them same-ish, selling beer, fags and food, but Lesley some give a far better experience than yours, and that is what the public wants, hence Wetherspoons, and probably why you objected to them coming into town, nimby.
H.J.Harris
says...
2:03pm Sat 23 Mar 13
the wizard wrote:I don't know Lesley Semaine personally but would far rather go to her establisment than Wetherspoons. I'm not knocking the latter but am pleased that we have a variety of pubs in our town.
Lesley Semaine was interviewed,
But she questioned the need for a shop similar to those already in Witney and the lack of independent retailers opening in the new development.
and she is the landlady of a pub, so don't we have enough of those in EVERY town, all of them same-ish, selling beer, fags and food, but Lesley some give a far better experience than yours, and that is what the public wants, hence Wetherspoons, and probably why you objected to them coming into town, nimby.
xjohnx says...
12:24pm Wed 6 Mar 13
International businesses spend their profits outside the community.
Yeh! Lets have lots more international businesses paying low wages and sucking money out of the locality.
Go for it Mayor !