Wilkinson to create 50 jobs (From Free Press Series)

Wilkinson to create 50 jobs

FIFTY new jobs will be created when a new high street store opens in Chepstow at the end of the year.

As reported in last week's Free Press, 11 jobs will go when Kwik Save in Welsh Street finally closes at the end of the month due to poor trading.

But family retailer Wilkinson will take over the premises and have already put in a planning application to extend the building.

Wilkinson is one of the UK's fastest growing high street retailers - they say they plan to build on its success in the company's heartlands of the North and the Midlands.

Chairman of Chepstow Chamber of Commerce and Tourism, Paul Richings, said: "I feel it is excellent that the building is going to be occupied so quickly.

"I think Wilkinson will attract more people from the surrounding areas. This can only be a positive thing."

The new home store is expected to open during the winter of 2004, and the company says the Chepstow store will strengthen their presence in the region by joining existing stores at Abergavenny and Blackwood as well as Cwmbran, which is scheduled to open early 2005.

"We are delighted to be able to bring Wilkinson value for money family shopping to Chepstow and very much look forward to welcoming new customers to our town centre store," said Ian Bates, Regional manager.

"We are a family-owned business and see ourselves as a community-based store. We are therefore hoping to employ the majority of our team members from Chepstow and the surrounding area."

Wilkinson has 232 stores across England and Wales and aims to have 300 stores by 2006. Chepstow is part of the company's planned expansion.

Wilkinson invested £60million when it opened its second UK Distribution Centre at Magor near Newport, to spearhead its expansion in the south and south west of England.

Based in Nottinghamshire, Wilkinson sells more than 25,000 different products for the home and garden and serves more than 156 million customers a year.