Council steps up campaign for a Waitrose store in Sidcup
14 June 2012
Local people are being urged to sign the petition pressing Waitrose to open a store in Sidcup town centre, as the London Borough of Bexley steps up its 'We want Waitrose' campaign.
"We are really grateful for the support of the 4,200 people who have backed the petition so far and we hope to reach 5,000 signatures before we present the petition to the Waitrose board next month," explained Cllr Linda Bailey, the Council's Cabinet member for Economic Development and Regeneration. "The more signatures we collect, the clearer it will be how let down people feel and how much support there is for a Waitrose in the town."
The petition is available to sign -
- Online
- At local shops displaying the campaign poster
- At Sidcup Library in Hadlow Road, just off the High Street.
Waitrose has a lease on the unit on the ground floor of the Travelodge development, but indicated last month that it would not be opening the store as originally planned.
"We have been working hard to improve the town centre and a brand like Waitrose that offers something different from other retailers currently in the town is just what we need," said Cllr Bailey. "We believe it would attract people from the surrounding area to the High Street - and the support for the campaign suggests that it would also be a success for the company."
"We are working hard to revive the High Street, although the economic climate is obviously challenging," added Council Leader, Cllr Teresa O'Neill. "We have improved the local road network, together with access from Morrisons' into the High Street, but we need the support of companies like Waitrose if we are to turn things around.
"The unit in the Travelodge development has been built to Waitrose's requirements. Although other companies are likely to be interested, the Council believes that Waitrose would offer something different from other traders in the south of the borough."
The Council is working with local businesses to discuss the improvements it plans to make in the town using the £1.8m in investment it recently secured from the Mayor of London's Outer London Fund.
Councillors will be inviting local people to sign the 'We want Waitrose' petition at the Council's Talk Cafe at the Danson Festival over the weekend of 6/7 July.
The petition is now closed .
