chippingnortonjournal

Mayor backing Morrisons bid

 

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.

  Meanwhile-
MOVES to extend Banbury’s Castle Quay shopping centre have been welcomed by business leaders.
Centre owner Scottish Widows Investment Partnership (SWIP) is developing plans for a hotel, cinema, shops, bars and restaurants.
It would extend the centre’s footprint by 25 per cent, from 600,000sq ft to 754,000sq ft and create up to 500 new full-time and 1,000 part-time roles.
It is being seen as a attempt by the firm to shore up the town centre’s offering after a major retail park plan was approved.

 

Malcolm Douglas, who owns Henry’s menswear shop in High Street, He said of the Castle Quay scheme: “It is wonderful, great news if it goes ahead. It is great for the town – a cinema would be brilliant.”
Centre fund manager Cameron Murray said the plan “reaffirms SWIP’s commitment to Castle Quay and maintaining Banbury’s town centre offering”.
He said: “We are delighted to confirm we are in the early stages of developing a proposal to extend Castle Quay shopping centre.

Ed: There you are then, our two nearest towns Banbury and Witney are planning massive expansion to tempt customers from Chippy. Meanwhile WODC rejects expansion in Chippy and SCOOTS think the Co-op expansion will save Chippy then they are sadly mistaken.
And before anyone says 'yes but, they are town centre expansions unlike Sainsbury's on the edge of town' the reality is if people are prepared to drive all the way to Banbury or Witney to shop then people driving into town from London Road would be a doddle.