Former Waitrose store 'could become B&M'

RESIDENTS have raised fears that a high street Waitrose which closed down will now be replaced with a bargain store.

- EMILY CHAPLIN

Work has started on the empty supermarket which closed in January after a more than half a century serving Hall Green.

Workmen have been spotted at the boarded-up site in Stratford Road in recent weeks.

Locals were disappointed to learn of the planned closure when it was first announced last autumn, with Waitrose bosses calling the decision a 'last resort' after failed attempts to boost falling profits at the branch.

The store had served generations of Hall Green residents since it opened in 1971 and a petition was launched to try and save the shop.

One shopper branded the loss 'another nail in the firmly closed coffin' for the area.

The Mail quizzed regulars on their hopes for the site and many were of the opinion that an M&S food hall would best serve the community.