New store keen on town

Oct 22 2008 by Dave Black, The Journal

ANOTHER potential rival has emerged in an intensifying shopping basket war being waged by supermarket chains.

Waitrose is the latest operator to target Morpeth in Northumberland as a possible foodstore location in a flurry of retail activity which looks certain to see local shoppers end up with increased supermarket choice.

Waitrose is believed to be looking for a suitable site in or around the town centre, where a £32m project to create a 27-unit Edwardian-style shopping mall is well under way.

The latest move comes as Tesco and Sainsbury’s are both planning 200-job supermarkets on the outskirts of the town, on the Coopies Lane industrial estate and nearby farmland respectively.

At the same time, Marks & Spencer is preparing to open a flagship store as part of the redevelopment, and Morrisons plans to extend its town centre supermarket.

Tesco expects to submit a planning application for its store to Castle Morpeth Council soon, sparking a fresh debate over the issue of edge-of-town development and its impact on the town centre. Yesterday Morpeth and district chamber of trade chairman Stuart Lishman said the high level of interest in the town from leading retail names was encouraging and a major vote of confidence.

He believes the £32m Sanderson Arcade development, by partners Dransfield Properties and Ethel Austin Properties, has been the catalyst, together with a proactive approach by the borough council.

“I have now been told that Waitrose is definitely coming to Morpeth, although we don’t know the exact site yet.

“It is very encouraging for a market town of our size to have all this interest currently.

“Because there has been this £32m investment in the town centre, the major players in the retail market are sitting up and looking at Morpeth.

“We have been banging on for years about the leakage of trade from Morpeth, so this sort of interest can only be a good thing.”

Last night a Waitrose spokesman said: “Morpeth is one of a number of towns we are currently looking at in the North East to realise our ambitious growth plans. However, we don’t have a specific site at this time.”

Tesco bosses said last week that a recent public consultation exercise in Morpeth had revealed 85% support for its supermarket proposal.

The company also says the vast majority of businesses at Coopies Lane – which employ 450 people – are in favour of the scheme.

Chamber of trade members will be consulted on the proposal after a planning application is submitted.

The proposed store would be the first in the North East of a new generation of “green” Tesco buildings – including timber frames and cladding, extensive use of natural lighting, a combined heat and power plant and a wind turbine to generate energy.