Waitrose is set to return

Upmarket supermarket chain Waitrose has announced it wants to return to Wyre Forest – three years after closing its Kidderminster store.

Waitrose first opened in Kidderminster in 1970 – one of the first stores to open in the then state-of-the-art Swan shopping centre, which was built in the late 1960s.

The company closed the store in July 2005 saying it was outdated for 21st century customers.

But Waitrose today revealed it wants to open a new store in the district – this time in Bewdley.

Waitrose spokeswoman Suzanne Cronin said: "We would be very interested in bringing the Waitrose offer to Bewdley, following on from the success of shops in Droitwich and Stourbridge, however we have not found a site at this time."

An £18 million new development is planned for Load Street in the town which will include a new health centre and fire station as well as a supermarket.

Regeneration Councillor Stephen Clee said he would be holding talks with the company and hoped to encourage them to consider Load Street as an option.

The company said the site did not appear to be suitable but Councillor Clee said: "That is the only site in Bewdley as far as I'm concerned. I will be speaking to their property people again."

Waitrose managing director Steven Epsom said when the Kidderminster store closed: "We decided that our 35-year-old shop does not offer the kind of shopping environment which customers would expect from a chain like Waitrose.

"In contrast, our Droitwich branch will offer a bright attractive shop and a far wider selection of products and services."

Councillor Clee said it was a commercial decision to close Kidderminster's Waitrose as it was too close to the new store which opened in Droitwich in 2005. He added Bewdley is a new market with only one competitor in the town, Co-op, making it much more attractive.