Exclusive: Sainsbury's set to open in Woolworths store
Supermarket giant Sainsbury's is in the final stages of a deal to take over the former Woolworths store in Bath.
The firm is expected to complete negotiations at the end of this month on the premises at Moorland Road in Oldfield Park which would become its third store in the city.
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sainsbury's
Sainsbury's will also open a 6,200 sq ft store in Bath's £360 million SouthGate centre in November which is likely to create around 30 jobs.
The chain is looking to open a large store as part of a development on a six-acre site between St Martin's Primary School and Three Ways School in Odd Down, which would then bring the total number of stores in Bath to five.
Trader David Pye, who chairs the Moorland Road Association which represents businesses in the area, said Sainsbury's could be a positive influence by attracting more people to the street.
The store shut as Woolworths went to the wall in January.
Mr Pye, who runs a shop selling greetings cards, said: "A lot of people said if we lost Woolworths, Moorland Road would collapse and it obviously hasn't.
"There are still a lot of independent shops that still draw the crowds.
"Our trade has increased a bit and we have taken on some of the things we couldn't really compete with Woolworths on, like stationery."
Mr Pye said stores such as The Co-op, McColls and Threshers would be most affected by the opening of a store such as Sainsbury's.
He said: "It will depend on what they are actually going to sell.
"It will increase footfall in Moorland Road and any people that are going to be affected by it will be happy with the increase in people that it will draw in."
Mr Pye said he would ask Sainsbury's to join the Moorland Road Association and said the supermarket giant should not be considered a threat.
He said: "We would be looking for them to come on board and help promote the street with things such as Christmas lights and flowers."
The Co-op declined to comment.
Bristol-based property agent Alder King is marketing the store.











46 Comments
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by barry, bath
Sunday, June 28 2009, 3:43PM
“Can I first of all address Amanda's letter, she says that David Pye produced all the posters that were in some shops last year saying " stop Tesco" you should check your facts Amanda, those posters were nothing to do with either Moorland Road Association or David Pye and to say David produced them is a blatent lie. they were in fact produced and distributed by June Player.
I have wached this story develop with interest, as 18 months ago I handed over the Chaimanship of the Association to David, it was at a difficult time with many but not all Traders losing interest in our efforts to promote the Road, you may ask why I stepped down leaving David to get the Association going again, like all things there are always 2 sides to every story, I had health problems and felt after 14 years it was time to hand over the rein's to someone else, David has been an excellent Chairman, even before he took over he put up the Christmas lights and flower boxes virtualy on his own, he and his wife organised Supper concerts to raise money for Moorland Road, the St Georges day flags were put up by David, I could go on, As for the situation we find ourselves in at the moment I know from experience how difficult it is to quote to the Chronicle over the phone without time to consider a measured reply, it is very easy to be misquoted or have something taken out of context ,it's much easier to make personal and downright insulting remarks from the comfort of your room with plenty of time to think about what you are going to say, There is an old saying that if you put your head above the parapit you must be prepared to be shot at, well David knows this as do I, so for goodness sake lets move on,those of you who are wasting time and effort bickering and complaining why not support the very small group of people who make up the committee of the Association who give there time freely to try and promote the Road ,”
by amanda, bath
Sunday, June 28 2009, 1:05PM
“Mr Pye - there seems to be some inconsistency, why were there posters plastered everywhere last year (produced by yourself) to 'STOP TESCO' and 'SAY NO TO TESCO' on the Bath Press site, if in meetings nobody 'even said the word Tescos' ?
From what i have heard there are many traders angry and concerned for the future of their businesses in the street, even if they haven't all voiced it on here. I hope one new store opening doesn't mean the closure of many.
Anyway, do we need 5 Sainsburys in Bath whilst we have 0 Aldi, Lidl and Asda? This seems to be more to do with the 'image' of our city rather than providing residents with choice and value.”
by Cllr Shaun McGall, Oldfield Park
Sunday, June 28 2009, 12:11PM
“If people want a non-food retail to take up the lease for the former Woolworths site on Moorland Road, then local residents and businesses should be aware that the Former Woolworths boss Sir Geoff Mulcahy is working with a group planning to create a 200-strong chain of "Woolworths-style" stores.
The group, which currently has no name, is headed by former Woolworths managing director Tony Page. He said he had been working with Sir Geoff for a month.
The group is hoping to buy some of the collapsed retailer's vacant stores.
You can find our more information about this develop on the BBC website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8099574.stm
or in addition you may want to concern joining the Facebook Group campiagning to bring Woolworths back to our High Streets: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=40893911206”
by JM, Bath
Sunday, June 28 2009, 8:39AM
“".....as all I read is moan moan moan from a load of old whingers......"
Black pots and kettles spring to mind, and even though we have veered slightly from the subject I am sure SAM will be pleased to hear that we have finally uncovered that it is BUBBA who goes out for the milk!!
"Next time you drive past the green park Tavern, or perhaps the entrance to Sainsburys or even Bathwick tyres, think about you being that guy waiting to get out getting more and more frustrated and then maybe you might be a little more sympathetic to others and let them out. "
For the record........I do let people out of junctions, either by flashing them or leaving a big enough gap. When you live in a side road off a main road you are acutely aware of selfish drivers and try not to be like them!
As for re-reading a multitude of previous posts going back goodness knows how long.......... in case you haven't noticed the sun is shining and I am just not bored enough to sit indoors for that long!
And a word of support for David Pye - I have also run a Traders Association with around 40 members, and on the whole it is a thankless task. There will be one or two who are continually supportive but most are happy to sit back and let you do all the work and then reap the benefits of your efforts (such as Christmas Lights, anti-crime intiatives and flower displays). Even when you are busy yourself you try to take on the problems of others and view the street as a whole. There is nothing worse than boarded up and empty shops in a row, as it gives a derelict appearance, so you do your best to keep everyone going and the street thriving, sometimes at the expense of your own business. I know how many hours it takes putting letters together and then delivering them all around. Unless you do it when the shops are shut it takes hours, as everyone wants to talk, and if you want other opinions it has to be done during opening hours. The more chains you have on the street the more difficult it is as you have to deal at Head Office level rather than at street level, which takes more letter writing and calls. All this time could be spent in your own shop, but it boils down to "someone has to do it" and as soon as nobody does, it shows! Then to add insult to injury, when you dare to go public with any concerns relating to the street, you are often accused of being self-interested! Keep up the good work David. At least if nobody carries it on when you leave you know that you made a difference while you were there.”
by Bubba, bath
Saturday, June 27 2009, 6:29PM
“Ah Thomas, If you took a little time to re read some of the other posts on other topics, you will see people complaining about the london road traffic, the lower bristol road traffic and how dangerous it is (In fact that was you) the general traffic levels being too high and people suggesting that trucks slow bath down and should be diverted. Secondly, there was a recent topic about sainsburys store at Green Park's shelves being empty, parking to be bad and having to queue for a long time to get served. So in fact there may not be anyone on this particular subject but it has been mentioned many times before. As I said to JM, I am an avid road safety fan who has seen far to much death and destruction through bad driving and even had a post removed by the editor when i left a comment, quite what a responce they were expecting from posting the story in question is beyond me but anyway, you obviously have a beef with me and any comment I make will end up with a comment from you having a little dig talking some rubbish about me staying in more and banking online. I do quite happily use online shopping and banking thanks for mentioning but im hardly likely to order a 4 pinter of semi skinned from Tesco am I, therefore I have to go out and see the nice drivers of Bath forcing their way through with no consideration for other Bathonians, that was my point. Next time you drive past the green park Tavern, or perhaps the entrance to Sainsburys or even Bathwick tyres, think about you being that guy waiting to get out getting more and more frustrated and then maybe you might be a little more sympathetic to others and let them out. That is why I dont travel to Sainsburys and im happy to use OFP Sainsburys for convenience Most people are ignorant and rude and do nothing about the problems then just moan. Im actually considering not coming on here again (Cheers from JM and Thomas) as all I read is moan moan moan from a load of old whingers that as long as everything goes their way and nothing disrupts their little life theyre almost happy.”