Store move welcomed as a boost for town
Last updated 09:20, Friday, 05 September 2008
TRADERS in Prudhoe have welcomed news that a budget department store is set to move to the town’s Front Street within the next two months.
Boyes, which sells everything from DIY products to clothes, has confirmed it plans to set up shop in the long-empty Kwik Save premises.
It is hoped the store – the company’s 35th – will be up and running by the end of October, and that between 20 and 25 jobs will be created.
The Kwik Save building has been empty since the brand went into administration and shops throughout the country were closed.
Boyes is currently working with the landlord of the premises on finalising a contract, and has started advertising job vacancies.
“It’s an empty Kwik Save at the moment, but we’re hoping to breathe a new lease of life into it,” said chairman and joint managing director Andrew Boyes.
“We’ll be bringing a big range of products to the town, so people don’t have to travel further afield to buy a lot of everyday items.
“We looked at the town and it seems like the sort of place we can make a difference in and exist successfully in.
“It’s similar to some of the others we’ve traded in and we think it will be a good place to do business.”
The news comes just two months after Tynedale Council approved plans by the Duke of Northumberland to redevelop Prudhoe town centre.
If given the final go- ahead by the Secretary of State, the investment will see a new Sainsbury’s store, with a floor space of over 4,000 square metres, being built next to a new town square.
Many traders are worried this could spell the end for existing businesses on Front Street, the town’s main shopping area, and have been outspoken in their views.
Among those to object to the plans, on the grounds on inappropriate scale, was Somerfield, the parent company of Kwik Save.
However, Mr Boyes said:“We’re not unduly concerned about it. We’ve lived alongside slightly-out-of-town-centre supermarkets in a number of places.
“I am sure the high street will still remain the focus for a lot of businesses.
“We’re reasonably comfortable with the development and it doesn’t put us off at all. It’s the sort of thing that could actually keep business within the town as people aren’t going further afield.”
Chairman of the Prudhoe Traders’ Association, John Short, said: “We welcome all business coming in and taking over the empty units – especially when it’s a business like this, something we haven’t already got an abundance of.
“Obviously, everyone is being hit by the credit crunch at the moment and we have a double whammy here with the new development hanging over our heads.
“Anything bringing more people into the town has to be appreciated.”
Mayor of Prudhoe Coun. Jennifer McGee said: “I think people will be pleased to see something happening within the shop.
“A lot of people have been asking what is happening with it, as its been empty for well over a year, so it’s good to see it will be put to use.”
Boyes, a family-run company, has been trading since 1881 and now operates 34 stores in the North-East, Humberside, Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.
It has built a reputation for selling a huge range of goods at bargain prices, covering virtually everything for the home and family.
Around 250,000 customers shop at the stores each week.
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