Forget beef pies and pasties. Think dill drizzle, high class wines and balsamic blueberries. Morrisons has signalled it is intending to revamp its Home Counties supermarket stores with a stylish makeover and a bigger presence - 60% of its new outlets will be in the south. Is this a convincing move upmarket for the Bradford grocer?
The (not so) common touch
It will need to be if Morrisons, a store better known for no-nonsense cooked meat products and value-for-money basics, wants to compete with the likes of Ocado and Waitrose. Morrisions is also paving the way for a move online. New stores are being built in Croydon, Harrow and Colindale, North London. The next three years will see its southern presence bring an extra two million households within a 15 minute drive of its stores, it claims.
But any move upmarket will need to be carefully choreographed given the huge pressure many consumers are under. "We are seeing shoppers skipping meals so they can save cash to feed their children," Morrisons boss Dalton Philips told the Mail. "They are hiding treats around the house to ration them through the week, dipping into savings and recycling their clothes."
Online presence
Not the kind of customer profile which typically splashes out on £15 bottles of wine or lamb shanks with redcurrant and rosemary jus. Yet.There is also intimations from the Morrisons boss that the supermarket is set to make a significant foray into online retail. The move online is being aided by a 10% stake in US food website FreshDirect - boss Dalton Philips confirmed Morrisons staff had learnt much from a recent Stateside FreshDirect visit.
"Multi-format, multi-channel" is just one of the phrases peppered on a Morrisons press briefing, plus "experiential over purely functional" and "skills not just drills". There's ambition behind the jargon.
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Source: money.aol.co.uk
Morrisons announce plans for new West Watford store (From Watford Observer) - Watford Observer
Breaking news Morrisons announce plans for new store in Ascot Road, West Watford
10:22am Thursday 31st May 2012 in News By Mike Wright, Chief Reporter
The supermarket chain Morrisons has announced plans for a new store in West Watford, which could create 300 new jobs in the town.
The corporation is drawing up plans for the vacant Watford Royal Mail depot site in Ascot Road, which would also contain offices, new homes, a hotel and space for a potential new primary school.
Current proposals also show 450 new parking spaces will be provided in the new development.
Richard Haynes, Development Executive at Morrisons, said: “We want to transform the unsightly and now vacant Royal Mail site into one of our next generation foodstores, increasing affordable shopping choice in Watford and breathing life into the Ascot Road area, with new jobs, fresh food and a shoppers’ car park.”
The public will be able to view the plans at a two-day public exhibition to be held at the former Royal Mail site on Friday June 15 and Saturday June 16.
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Source: www.watfordobserver.co.uk
Ex-traffic warden lifts the lid on parking practices (From Your Local Guardian) - Croydon Guardian
Ex-Merton Council traffic warden lifts the lid on parking practices
7:50am Thursday 31st May 2012 in Wimbledon Exclusive By Lauren May
A former traffic warden has described parking enforcement as a “money-making machine” in which his former employees would ruthlessly issue tickets despite not being on commission or bonuses.
The former employee, who worked for Merton Council for several years, described a variety of techniques used including “hot spotting”, in which officers will ignore residents parking zones and focus on pay and display bays.
He said: “The expectation is that, if you are on an area such as Worple Road in Wimbledon, you wouldn’t worry too much about checking residential bays.
“Instead you check the pay and display on Worple Road and Mansel Road where the school is and keep going backwards and forwards because you are, on average, likely to find the most tickets there.
“It’s an unwritten law. If you concentrate on pay and display around that area, you’re not going round other roads checking who’s illegally parking in residential bays, so residents get a worse service because of hot spotting.
“You would never find a document on it or anyone that would admit to it.”
In recent years, many residents have complained to the Wimbledon Guardian about traffic wardens being over-zealous in giving out tickets.
In October 2010, Merton Council was criticised for using "underhand tactics" after their traffic wardens were driving around in an "old banger" and issued a ticket within one minute, before the motorist had a chance to buy a permit.
And last week, we highlighted a case where a CCTV enforcement van had parked on double yellow lines to catch out cars stopped in a box junction in Merton Park.
Merton Council states clearly on its website that “no targets are given and no bonuses are paid” to parking officers.
But, the former employee said, colleagues did not need such incentives to issue fines.
He explained: “There was always a few that would do anything to get on the other side the road to issue this parking ticket and you think to yourself ‘why’?
“If you dash across the road and you get run over the authority will wash their hands of you.
“The motorist would be mortified because you have run out in front of the car, but they would do it.”
In 2011, a five-minute grace period, which allowed the motorists time to purchase another ticket or return to their car after their ticket expired, was reduced to two minutes.
But our informant said there was nothing to stop officers ignoring this guideline, which is devised to allow for discrepancies in timekeeping because of differences in the clocks.
He said: “A lot of people will see your ticket is expiring at 2pm and give you a ticket at 2pm. They probably won’t check in the office.
“There should be a random check of everybody’s tickets but they don’t care because it’s money and it’s only a policy – a guideline.”
The revelations came as the council admitted 5,007 tickets were wrongly issued in 2010-11 – nearly 10 per cent of the total issued of 58,642.
The former parking warden said: “Of the 53,000 tickets that people paid how many of those tickets were issued incorrectly and people didn’t complain because they didn’t know? It’s just a money-making game.”
A Merton Council spokeswoman said: “We work hard to make sure all PCNs issued are accurate, but we respond to legitimate representations and cancel them where appropriate.”
This story is part of the Wimbledon Guardian's PARKING MADNESS series, in which we call on readers to help us promote a just and transparent system of parking enforcement in Merton.
Have you got a parking story for us? Call 020 8722 6333, tweet @WimbledonNews or email: newsdesk@wimbledonguardian.co.uk.
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Source: www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk
NEW MORRISONS STORE FOR BAY - This is South Devon
SUPERMARKET giant Morrisons has confirmed it plans to open a store in Torquay, creating 200 jobs.
It comes as three or four other major food retailers are said to be measuring up the outskirts of Torbay for hypermarkets.
Morrisons wants to take over the former DIY warehouse (pictured) in Babbacombe Road and turn it into a new Fresh Format food store.
Tesco has already submitted an application for a much larger 7,149 square metre supermarket on Edginswell Business Park on the outskirts of Torquay.
And Sainsbury's are proposing to expand their Ring Road site at Paignton. Though an application has yet to be submitted it is understood it could be as large as their store at the Willows, Torquay.
Steve Parrock (pictured), chief executive of Torbay Development Agency, revealed at the company's first annual meeting that the former Nortel site could also be another location considered for a hypermarket, and there may be other sites as well.
He told the 80 to 100 business people present: "It's quite clear after meeting the major food retailers on a regular basis that there are a number of applications for hyperstores pending out on the Ring Road. The prospects at the moment are that we will have three or four major food retailers building on the Ring Road.
"There could be a real threat and challenge to our traditional town centres which we will need to address.
"The way we are addressing it is to work through our neighbourhood planning forums and to develop strategies with those forums on what they would like to see developed in their town centres and on the approaches to their towns."
Concerning the Brixham Tesco plan, he said they were waiting a new proposal from the company following the public consultation.
Mr Parrock said: "The developer has appointed new architects to bring forward a new design. I would like to see what that design is before passing any further judgement."
Former Torbay mayoral candidate Dennis Brewer asked whether the new Government planning framework would help Torbay defend itself against bids by major food retailers for hypermarkets on the outskirts of the Bay's towns.
Mr Parrock said: "There is no definitive answer. We have to use the toolkit we are given to promotion regeneration where we want it, and to deflect it where we don't want it. The prospects of having a number of food hypermarkets on the Ring Road is something I think Torbay Council and the TDA will spend a lot of time talking about over the next six to 12 months."
He warned that if they were to 'deflect' unwelcome applications Torbay would need deliverable policies in the town centre.
He said: "Our focus needs to be on the neighbourhood planning forums and putting strategies into the core strategy so we know what it is and where it is people want regeneration for the next five, 10 to 15 years."
Morrisons plans to comprehensively refurbish the former Babbacombe Road store. The company is holding a consultation exhibition for the public to view the proposal, prior to submitting a planning application. The exhibition will be held at the Scout Hut, Walls Hill Quarry, Babbacombe Road, on Friday, June 15 from 1pm to 7pm, and Saturday, June 16, 10am to 2pm.
On display will be full details, including plans and computer-generated images, and representatives from Morrisons and the professional team will be on hand to answer questions. Morrisons development executive Robin Langford, said: "We are delighted to have the opportunity to develop a stunning all-new 'Fresh Format' concept store which will create more than 200 local job opportunities. We hope for a good turnout at the event."
Otter Nurseries say they will continue to trade on the site.
Source: www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk
Wimbledon blog: And so it begins - Richmond & Twickenham Times
Wimbledon blog: And so it begins
1:29pm Thursday 31st May 2012 in Sport By Radio WDON
A new name has now been added to those of Terry’s slimmed squad.
Curtis Osano renews his acquaintance to us after jetting in after his departure from Luton.
We’ve seen him in the past, including at Aldershot in the Trophy, and his recent performances suggest he could be a useful addition. He’s of a good age and heralds the beginnings of Terry’s new defence.
Terry is said to be in talks with a left back, centre backs and midfielders. If these come off and Jack "Mountain Man" Midson signs on, the squad would look much healthier.
Whether it will be sufficient to improve on the 16th of last season is impossible to say but where would a Dons fan be without a little self-belief and a willingness to take on Goliath? No names of new additions have been confirmed but caution needs to be exercised financially, as mandatory ground improvements have to be considered after a meeting in Wimbledon Civic Hall last Friday.
How these will be financed are going to mean a struggle, unless a good cup run comes off but then we’d face hosting Europa League games at the CRRS. Arrive early to get a parking spot.
Pre-season friendlies are lining up with what look like good tests.
Reading, West Ham, Preston, Portsmouth, Woking and Bognor should give players a good run out and a chance for fans to enjoy a trip to the seaside. Pity it’s not Eastbourne again as we do like that ice cream parlour on the seafront.
No sign of any pre-season friendly activity for reserve and development football since Marcus Gayle’s departure.
That section of the club is going to pivotal in delivering additions to the squad from within. We’ll keep a careful eye on them too.
Wimbledon ladies are also looking to improve their squad with trials being held in the near future. Those games against Arsenal used to be fun, even when sometimes you’d lose track of the score.
Pictures have surfaced of the works in progress of the Kingston Road end. It’ll be interesting to watch that develop and see it take shape.
It’s not quite on a par with the Olympic stadium but at least you stand a chance of getting a ticket to see something. You can even get a season ticket for the KRE. That’s the wonder of Wimbledon.
This week saw the 10th anniversary of the FA passing the buck, to the League and their three-men delivering their verdict allowing franchising in English Football.
Strange how something decreed as not being in the wider interest comes right back and shows the common man embracing football and how many pulling together can achieve greater than might be imagined.
If you take the start of AFC Wimbledon as the 28th of May, the 30th of May 2002, or like the London FA, 1889, celebrate the birthday of the Dons and dig in for another decade. Raise a slice of cake to all those that have helped and look forward to more progress in the future.
Radio WDON can be found at wdon.com or via wimbledonstadium.com. Visit their Facebook page at facebook.com/RadioWDON or follow them on Twitter @RadioWDON.
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Source: www.richmondandtwickenhamtimes.co.uk
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