Bosses at Harry Tuffins Supermarkets believe that a planned £1million rebuild of their Cleobury Mortimer store will create 20 new jobs and boost trade in the town centre.
Tuffins managing director Paul Delves said the go-ahead for the new store was expected by the end of the month and was eagerly awaited by the store’s many customers.
“The manager and staff are doing a great job at Cleobury, but the store is crying out for extra space – it’s like trying to squeeze a quart into a pint pot”, said Mr Delves.
“I am not sure whether the other traders in Cleobury will welcome the new store as much as our customers, but personally I think that business in the town will get a boost generally because people will not feel they need to go to Kidderminster or Ludlow to shop.
“We will have 5,000 square feet of floor space which is a big improvement on the current 1,500 square feet. We have 20 staff already and will be looking to double that when the new store opens next year”.
Tuffins are still waiting for the go-ahead from Shropshire planners to complete a £400,000 upgrade to the Craven Arms store which employs around 80 workers.
Mr Delves said this week that the planning process was “taking a lot of time” and that a new garden centre area planned for the site would now be delayed until next Spring.
But he said there were no major setbacks and it was hoped that the upgrade would help safeguard jobs and improve the aesthetic appeal of the store.
The scheme involves moving two existing entrances to the store and replacing them with one main entrance, re-siting the delivery points and recycling area, and developing the proposed garden centre.