Morrisons has announced
today that it will be opening one of its first ‘stores
of the future’ in Tunbridge Wells. When
it opens by Easter 2012, the new style store will be one of Morrisons’ first
new era stores to open in the South East.
The Vale Road site by
Tunbridge Wells Railway Station will be transformed into a contemporary
shopping space, focused on an innovative and wide-ranging, premium fresh food
offer, yet still delivering Morrisons’ great value.
Morrisons has embraced more
flexible store formats since Dalton Philips, the group’s new CEO, joined the
business last year. Value, affordability
and freshness remain Morrisons’ key differentiators; in the ‘store of the
future’ this is now coupled with a premium range of gourmet foods and high
quality culinary produce.
Morrisons’ ‘store of the
future’ will offer up to 450 different lines of fresh produce including an
array of exotic fruits and vegetables.
The Tunbridge Wells store will be modelled on its Kirkstall store near
Leeds where it sells ten different types of Chinese greens; nine varieties of
loose tomatoes and ten lines of loose mushrooms, including Italian black summer
truffles – a first for one of the four big supermarkets.
Morrisons has more people preparing more food in store than any
other retailer and the Tunbridge Wells store will have fully trained
fishmongers, butchers and bakers - all with expert knowledge of their product
areas.
Other important features of
Tunbridge Wells’ new Morrisons will be:
- ‘Fresh to Go’ – fresh coffee and freshly squeezed
juice alongside a range of freshly made sandwiches, bagels, baguettes and
wraps aimed at the busy commuter
- The Butcher – up to 60 varieties of meat including
organic lamb, beef and pork, in traditional and more unusual cuts
- The Fishmonger –
up to 60 varieties of freshly caught fish and shellfish with exotic
varieties as well as local favourites
- The Florist – loose blooms and contemporary bouquets
sourced and created by a team of professional in-store florists
- Deli Express – a contemporary deli offer including
continental meats and cheeses complete with olive bar
- The Bakery – up to 40 traditional and more unusual
varieties of bread sold fresh - baked all day every day
- Ovenfresh – high-quality ‘ready meals’, hot foods
and traditional baked produce
- Wines and spirits – a choice of quality affordable
wines alongside fine wines and champagnes
Andy Newton, format director
at Morrisons said: “We are delighted to be opening one of our first ‘stores of
the future’ for the South East in Tunbridge Wells. This store will bring together all the best
innovations in fresh produce from the UK, the US and Canada.
“Until now Morrisons has not
had a format that would be right for Tunbridge Wells. With our ‘store of the future’ we can provide
the town with a premium offer, including the widest range of fresh ingredients
alongside other innovations we have trialled in our concept store in Kirkstall,
Leeds.
“This is Morrisons as you
probably have never seen it before, with more surprising produce and an
exciting layout but still highly affordable.”
Morrisons works directly
with suppliers, sources locally wherever possible and has its own farm. As a result it gets great prices on fantastic
products.
Morrisons has submitted a
planning application to Tunbridge Wells Borough Council to allow certain
changes to be made to the store’s exterior and the circulation space to the
front of the store. These changes are
designed to lighten up the store frontage, improve customer accessibility and
significantly enhance the experience of visiting the new store.
Leader of Tunbridge Wells
Borough Council, Councillor Bob Atwood said: “The council has now received a
planning application in respect of the Tunbridge Wells Morrisons’ site. It
seems our wish to see the end of the saga of the empty store may yet come true. Personally, I am pleased Morrisons has adhered
to the timescales we agreed with them. We
should not be complacent, but, having submitted an application to make some
improvements to the store, it suggests Morrisons is committed to returning to
our town.”
Subject to securing planning
consent, the new Morrisons would open by Easter 2012. Once open Morrisons will employ around 220
people.
ENDS
About
Morrisons
Morrisons
is the UK’s fourth largest food retailer with 459 stores and our business is
mainly food and grocery - the weekly shop. Uniquely we source and process most
of the fresh food that we sell though our own manufacturing facilities, giving
us close control over provenance and quality. We only sell 100% British fresh
beef, lamb, pork and poultry and we have more people preparing more food in
store than any other retailer including butchers, bakers and fishmongers. Every
week, more than 11.5 million customers pass through our doors and more
than 132,000 colleagues across the business work hard each day to deliver great
service to them. With competitive prices and hundreds of special offers, we are
proud to save our customers money every day.
For
more information, please contact:
James French
Wm
Morrison Supermarkets PLC
0845
611 5371
Jenny
Marshall / Jo Lloyd
Camargue
020
7636 7366
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