New jobs at Aldi store
A controversial £1 million Aldi supermarket is to open in November creating around 20 to 30 jobs in Stourbridge.
Work on the store, in New Road, will begin next month immediately following closure of the town's B&Q. The supermarket is being built on the site of the previously long-running hardware store.
Bosses from the supermarket chain today confirmed the 1,591 sq m store would open its doors in November.
The B&Q building will be totally refitted into the Aldi style. Part of the site will also be demolished to make way for extra car parking.
The new store will employ up to 30 people, bosses say.
But the development has proved controversial with businesses bosses in the town. Stourbridge Chamber of Trade fears it will lead to traffic chaos on the town's ring road. They say the supermarket will create a higher demand on the small access road.
Business leaders were left fuming after the plan was approved by planning officers in a delegated decision rather than coming before Dudley Council's development control committee for a full discussion.
Property Director for Aldi Jonathan Neale said: "Stourbridge is a key location for Aldi."
Chamber of Trade chairman Chris Icke said: "There are a number of concerns surrounding this development of which the traffic worries are paramount."
