Jobs joy as £30m store opens
Monday 25th January 2010, 4:17PM GMT.
A new flagship Morrisons store opened its doors in the Black Country today, creating more than 300 jobs in the region.
The £30 million supermarket in Wood Street, Willenhall, welcomed its first shoppers this morning. The store has been several years in the pipeline and sits on the site of the former Yale lockworks that employed thousands in its heyday.
It was pulled down at the start of last year and workers have been on site ever since building the 78,671 sq ft supermarket, which also has a petrol station and a 541-space car park. The Mayor of Walsall, councillor John O’Hare, was invited to mark the opening of the store at 9am.
It is the 423rd Morrisons to open and it is hoped the store will kickstart the regeneration of the town.
Personnel manager Kay Morgan said: “There’s been a fantastic response and a great turn out today. We’re looking forward to being part of the community in Willenhall for years to come.”
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Great..another store. Just what the region needs to compete.
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It’ll be somewhere nice to go when you can’t swim there any more.And you’ll spend far more than swimming.
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Built on the site where i once worked, we loose our jobs then we are expected to shop at morrison’s, i dont think so some how. how many more supermarkets do we need!
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ITS A LOT CLOSER TO US SO WE WILL USE THIS STORE .
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Why is this presented as good news? It is a pathetic shame.
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They must have bought the town in a big way to do what they’ve done. There’s no way its needed and it isn’t helping the town, now all the trade will be outside the town rather than in it.
The council doesn’t care about the businesses that are there and have done nothing to help and/or support the supermarket that has been around for over 25 years!
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I think some of you arent thinking of this in a rational manner.
Yes jobs were once lost because of the close down of the lock works but this is great news as there is a large number of people in this county that are unemployed and cant get work because of the lack of job spaces and my wife is one of them. For those that have got a job at the new store it is great.
Further more this is a good location for the store in my eyes as those that live local have a supermarket to go to.
Yes the council may close the leasure centre but look at there reasons first before putting the council down and saying they dont care.
Comments made like above annoy me because they are self centreed and dont consider the positive side of the story.
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It comes as a welcome addition to me; Willenhall has not had a proper supermarket for a long time. This will save me from driving to Walsall or Darlaston to do my grocery shopping.
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Some people moan about Morrisons, would you rather look at a load of rubble where the Yale factory was. Over 300 people employed has got to be good news, Plus it will bring the people back to willenhall. Morrisons has made Bilston busy again eh
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I fully agree with you. My post was trying to put across the same image but I forgot about the Bilston Morrisons making the area busy again.
Nice store and easy to get too. I welcome the Willenhall Morrisons.
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