Store will create 350 jobs

A jobs boost has been announced for Kidderminster as work gets under way on a new Morrisons superstore, which will employ 350 people.

The new supermarket, which will open in the autumn, is being built at the historic Stourvale Mills site in Green Street. It will be double the size of the town's existing store.

The current store, in nearby Oxford Street, employs around 150 staff.

Stourvale Mills is a grade II listed building and was previously occupied by the Woodward Grosvenor carpet firm, now based in Hartlebury.

Today the supermarket released an artist's impression of how the new store will look as workers started to prepare the site.

The 80,000 sq ft store will have 26 checkouts and a car park with room for 400 cars.

There will also be an a glazed cafe area, which will face the banks of the river giving customers the chance to enjoy views over the water.

Two new bridges will span the river, linking an area of the car park with the main car park and store and the development will include a clock tower.

The historic mill frontage of the building will be retained and particular attention will be paid to the architectural aspects of the site.

The development will include Kidderminster's first carpet museum to showcase the rich local heritage of the carpet industry and the town's economic history and ensure it is preserved for future generations.

The Carpet Trust is currently in the middle of submitting a bid for lottery funding for the project.

Councillors in Wyre Forest have praised the plans for the regeneration scheme which will breathe new life into the historic site describing it as "exciting".

Morrisons spokeswoman Amy Johnston said: "Both the new store and the proposed carpet museum will help to regenerate this part of Kidderminster."