EXCITED customers flocked to visit Bromsgrove’s new multi-million pound Waitrose as the store finally opened its doors after months of anticipation.
Children from Millfields First School and Aston Fields Middle School dropped by to perform an official ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the opening at 10am on Thursday, May 11.
The St John Street store opened to eager customers at 7am with many delighted at the facilities on offer, which includes a café and John Lewis ‘click and collect’.
Shopper Pam Rae said: “I think it is brilliant. It is ideal for me as the nearest store in Droitwich was a little too far. I will definitely be coming back again.”
Fellow shopper Iris Carrier added: “I am happy that I do not have to go to Droitwich now. The facilities are great as it has a café which I always like to go to and the cakes are great!”
Carole Green added: “It is brilliant for Bromsgrove. We have got the cheaper shops and now we have got this Waitrose for everything else. The quality is fantastic.”
The first customer in the store was also presented with a bottle of champagne from the Waitrose team to mark the milestone.
Work began on the 6,000sq ft store last September, with a massive £3.5 million pumped into the development, helping to create 50 new jobs and around 65 partner roles overall.
(ABOVE: The ribbon cutting performed by (front l-r) Millfields First School students Freddie Mitchell, 7, Amber Carter, 4, Abigail Venn, 7, (back l-r) Aston Fields Middle School students Nicholas Laugher, Zoe Lavender and Kyle Dickson, all 10, with store manager Greg Trumper)
Partner Cathy Farndon said the store has been manic since opening.
She said: “It has been really manic. We have had really good feedback from the customers about the store who are surprised at how big it is and the facilities we have here.”
The swanky store includes a cafe, a John Lewis ‘click and collect’ service for online purchases, a scan as you shop service, food ordering service, and Johnsons Dry cleaning.
It will also include a Waitrose QuickCheck and Waitrose Entertaining.
Store manager Greg Trumper said: “It is great to finally open. You can’t really beat the buzz of a new store opening.
“People have come in and said it’s great and they're so happy it’s here. They have said how good it looks and surprised at how much you can get into such a small space.
“You can almost get everything here that you can get in one of our bigger stores.”
Chair of Bromsgrove District Council Helen Jones also paid the St John Street site a visit to give her seal of approval, and she hopes the site will boost trade in Bromsgrove.
She said: “It is brilliant to have them opening in the town and hopefully it is going to bring a lot of people into Bromsgrove.”
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