Sponsored by
Cheers to new store opening
First customer Elizabeth Sumner (above, centre) with Steve Whiteside duty manager and branch manager Cath Harrison
Eager shoppers queued in the freezing cold to be first through the doors at Preston’s new Waitrose supermarket.
The multi-million pound 30,000 sq ft store, at the Capitol Centre, in Walton-le-Dale, officially opened at 7am yesterday.
And, despite the mercury dropping to -4C, as South Ribble Mayor Coun Jim Marsh cut the ribbon to open the store, there was already a steady queue of shoppers waiting outside.
Staff at the new Waitrose, which is the first in Lancashire, gathered in the foyer and cheered as Coun Marsh officially declared it open.
He said: “I’m absolutely delighted to welcome Waitrose to the borough and wish them every success with their new venture.
“It’s a real coup to have a new Waitrose store opening in South Ribble.
“It will not only create more than 200 new jobs, but will also give people an even wider choice of where to shop locally.”
Bosses said they were “overwhelmed” after they received 1,586 applications for new roles at the store. The first three shoppers through the door were greeted by staff and handed a bottle of champagne and a bunch of flowers.
Elizabeth Sumner, from Fulwood, was the store’s first customer.
She said: “I have been watching it every day being built so I thought I would come and have a look at it.”
Karen Butler, 55, from Lostock Hall, was also among the first of the new customers.
She said: “It is something new in Preston and I wanted to see something new opening with all the depression there has been.
“I want to see Preston getting back on its feet. I believe this year things are going to be better.”
Until now, the nearest Waitrose stores have been in Merseyside and Greater Manchester.
The upmarket retailer has earmarked opening up to 80 branches across the north of England and Scotland as part of a £35m investment in the region.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Preston
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 13 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Comments
There are 7 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
pneforever
Sunday, February 5, 2012 at 08:32 PMI'm an ex-pat living in San Diego, and it was great to see my mum being the 1st customer at the new store. Looking good in the red with the white roses and champers. Talk to you soon, love you, All in California.
jollypostie
Sunday, February 5, 2012 at 06:34 PMHow is this Lancashire's first Waitrose when there is one already in Formby, Lancashire? The County palatine remains the same despite the 1974 setting up of Gtr Manchester and Merseyside Probably best to call it Central Lancashires first Waitrose to avoid any 'in Prestonoutside Preston arguments. Also, millie, the PR is just the first two letters of a postcode, yes it stands for Preston, but it doesn't mean that if it is your postcode you are in Preston, Southport is PR8PR9, you could never say that was Preston, Likewise Barrow being LA14, it's miles from Lancaster!!
wolfy
Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 08:40 PMPreston,like most other cities in the U.K. does NOT need another supermarket. Local shopkeepers are having a hard enough time in the present slump without councils bowing to large stores 'demands'. Take, for instance, the plight of the British pub. These are closing down at a quite alarming rate,hence the campaignes on line to save them. I feel we have to some extent bought it on ourselves. You can get 'vast' amounts of drink sold in a package for a much cheaper price that if it was bought in a public house,so people apper to want to drink at home more and 'sacrifice' their previous like for the company of others whislt going out for a drink at their local. Perhaps you could go on to say that this change of traditional habit might lead to a less familiar neighbourhood in that people may not know as many people on their street as before as they now choose to 'socialise at home'?
bignorm
Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 12:47 AM#1 & 3, postcodes, dont go there unless you know what you are talking about, the PR postcode covers Preston, Chorley, Southport as the 3 main towns and smaller suburbs with the PR postcode include, Leyland, Bamber Bridge, Longridge, Garstang, Kirkham, Higher Walton, Longton, New Longton, Walmer Bridge and a few that i cant be bothered with, perhaps you think i am being pedantic but i'm just pointing out that postcodes are not nessacarily geographic they are indicating that postcodes are to a central town for which the PO is primarily the mail delivering machine, as for as i am concerned waitrose can clear of back down south from whence it came
modern millie
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 05:11 PMThey call it Preston's new Waitrose because it is! The postcode is Pr5 4aw- PRESTON!!! If you bothered to check you will also find Lostock hall and Leyland both have PR post codes which actually stands for PRESTON! So this is not about eradicating areas from the map it is merely a fact! silly you indeed.
Shabbagaz
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 01:21 PMA lot of people count it as being in Preston because it practically is. Stop being such a bloody snob.
man looney
Friday, February 3, 2012 at 12:43 PMWhy does the LEP call it "Preston's new Waitrose"? It is situated south of the Ribble in Walton-le-Dale, South Ribble. Get it. Even a CSE in geography should be enough for your journalists to know this new supermarket is not in Preston. Karen Butler the same goes for you. So you live in Lostock Hall, do you class that as Preston as well do you pay your rates to Preston council? Of course not. Oh silly me, I have just realised this is part of the greater plan to eradicate Leyland, Chorley etc from the map and make them all parts of a greater Preston.
Page 1 of 1
Your view
Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.