Buyer for Morrisons

A national chain has shown interest in taking over the former Morrisons store in Oxford Street, Kidderminster, it was revealed today.

The store is said to be one of several groups interested in the large empty building in Oxford Street. Morrisons vacated the site several months ago when it opened a new multi-million-pound store at the Stourvale Mills site, creating 160 jobs.

Since then the shop has lain empty despite its prestige site near a planned redevelopment of Oxford Street and Worcester Street.

This scheme, by Wilson Bowden, is expected to create shop and leisure facilities, such as a cinema, restaurants and a bowling club, as well as apartments created.

Today Katie Neasham, a spokesman for Morrisons, said: "Our previous Kidderminster store is currently on the market, with a number of parties interested.

"At the moment we cannot say more."

Town centre manager Jackie Roberts has said that she is hoping the prestige site can be quickly taken up to provide more jobs and create trading activity once more in the area.

She said: "This would be fantastic, once again increasing the number of jobs available in the town.

"This would assist with our programme to increase footfall in the town and increase variety for shoppers.

"It is a large store and it would be good to fill this as it is a prestige site."

Jackie added: "There are three main stores in the town we would like to fill and these include the former Morrisons, the former Woolworths building, empty since Christmas, and the former Littlewoods."