News: Rotherham's Woolworths unit taken over by B&M Bargains

A national retail chain has reopened the former Woolworths store in Rotherham town centre, creating 26 new jobs.


Discount retailer B&M Bargains opened the store this week and it believes it will attract at least 10,000 shoppers a week.

Woolworths closed its doors across the country at the beginning of the year. In Rotherham, concern set in among town centre traders and shoppers that the store might stay empty for the foreseeable future due to the recession, but Rotherham has been chosen as an ideal place to set up business.

Operations Director of B&M Bargains Adam Colledge said: "Rotherham's former Woolworths store has been handpicked as one of 30 that we have acquired across the country. The College Street property offers us a huge space exceeding 14,000sq ft in which to display our broad range of food and everyday household essentials. We are confident that the Rotherham store will attract at least 10,000 shoppers a week."
B&M Bargains was established 30 years ago in Blackpool. It has been expanding across the country at a rate of a store a fortnight for the last two years, offering a range of goods at discounted prices from toys and household items to food and home furnishings.

Following its continued growth, it now employs over 5,000 people and its stores are visited by more than a million people every week.

Town Centre Manager Julie Roberts said: "This is encouraging news for Rotherham town centre and a welcome boost for our traders.

"With popular stores such as B&M Bargains investing in large units like College Street this can only go towards boosting the town centre economy, restoring faith in Rotherham as a place to do business and encourage further investment."

"We wish B&M every success."

B&M Bargains website
Rotherham Town Centre website
Rotherham

Images: bmstores.co.uk