Locals Love The New Shaftesbury Morrisons Daily
The new Shaftesbury Morrisons Daily supermarket on Bell Street opened on Thursday, 13th of January replacing the former Somerfield and Budgens store. This follows Richard Whittemore, of Elite Garages, securing the site last year with a vision to bring a convenience store to the area once more.
Currently, the new Shaftesbury store is the largest Elite has undertaken and it’s proving to be a huge success. Paul Foster, Wholesale Manager at Morrisons, said: “We’re excited to be partnering with Richard and the team to bring a Morrisons Daily to Shaftesbury. Customers will be able to buy everyday essentials and food-to-go items from Morrisons’ wide range of own-brand products.”
Want to listen to the announcement? Visit The Alfred Daily and skip to around 10:45 and listen to what Kelsie Whittemore of Elite Garages had to say.
New Shaftesbury Morrisons Daily Supermarket: A Local Favourite
The ribbon-cutting was done by two very special women with a strong connection with the Bell Street supermarket site. Alison Burr worked in the store for over 10 years when it first opened as a Gateway in 1986 while Vanessa Wood also worked at the site but when it was a Somerfields. She was there for over 20 years and closed the doors for the last time in 2017.
Both Alison and Vanessa were overjoyed to come home as the store re-opened as a Morrisons Daily. Other residents who also worked there previously are returning to the site. Jean Pennell will join the bakery team after previously working at the site for more than five years when it was a Co-Op and Budgens store
Becky Wareham also spent more than four years at the site and is excited to be returning while Michael Hawkins, a much-loved local resident, is also back at the store looking forward to greeting all the new and returning customers.
The Welcome Day At The New Shaftesbury Morrisons Daily
The new Shaftesbury Morrisons Daily store hosted a vibrant and exciting ‘Welcome Day’ on Thursday 27 January 2022. Prior to the opening, Elite Garages asked Shaftesbury residents to nominate and vote for local charities that they thought needed a little financial boost the most.
Shaftesbury Mayor Andrew Hollingshead, Virginia Edwyn-Jones from the Chamber of Commerce and David Taylor from the Tourist Information Centre announced the winner of the store’s £1,000 gift. Congratulations to BooBs – Breast Cancer Awareness who, we can all agree, deserves a little hoping hand with all the incredible work they do.
Tasters, Freebies And Prizes
Various local suppliers also attended the event at the new Shaftesbury Morrisons Daily and gave people the opportunity to taste some of the amazing local products. This ranged from Gritchie Beer and The Real Cure Meats to Lilley’s Cider and Honeybuns gluten-free cakes among many others. Customers could also get a free bacon or sausage sandwich when they purchased a large Costa drink.
To top all of that, store visitors could also enter the local hamper giveaway loaded with local products, including:
- Gritchie Brew (Moon Lore, Session Lore, Angel’s Lore & Winter Lore)
- Lilley’s Cider (Bee Sting Cider, Select Cider, Mango Cider, Lilley’s Pens, Lilley’s Bottle Opener)
- A box of 80 Dorset teabags and Dorset tea towel
- Mounters13 Gin bottles
- The Real Cure Smoked Wild Venison Beer Sticks, Dorset Chorizo Picante & Wild Venison Salami
- Moores Biscuits (Butter Crunch and Dorset Ginger Biscuits)
- Olives Et Al: Kalamata Pitted Olives and Very Garlic Stuffed Olives
Shaftesbury Morrisons Daily And Elite Garages: A Winning Combination
The site was previously home to a few household names from Somerfield and Budgens to a Co-op and a Gateway. When deciding to purchase the empty site, the team at Elite Garages wanted to work with a local favourite and approached Morrisons Daily.
Since then, the team has worked tremendously hard to put it all together with a primary goal of bringing quality, fresh produce to the community. While the entire 15,854 sq foot building was previously a supermarket, they decided to convert it into a multi-use site. Here’s what Richard Whittemore of Elite Garages had to say:
“It now includes our 4,300 sq ft supermarket, an Elite Garages MOT centre and a 1,000 sq ft retail unit to let on the ground floor, as well as five residential flats on the first floor. Our customers will be able to use the supermarket while they wait for their vehicle to have its MOT or repair.”
What Makes Morrisons Daily A Great Choice?
Morrisons produce more than half of their fresh food in sites across the UK, including meat, seafood, bakery items and more. They also have their own-label brands which cater to all tastes and budgets from the entry point Savers through to the premium range, The Best. The store will offer a wide variety of products to meet your weekly shopping needs or simply to grab a meal deal on the go. Alongside Morrisons Daily products, there are also various local and specialist items, including:
- Olives et al
- Mounters13 Shaftesbury Gin
- Lilley’s Cider
- Moores Biscuits
- Dorset Tea
- Dorset Cereals
- Black Cow Vodka
- The Real Cure Meats
- Jeroboams Wine and much more
Answering The Call From Shaftesbury Locals
Kelsie Whittemore, who represents the third generation in the family business says Spar works well with forecourts but they wanted to try something new. That is when they decided to open the Shaftesbury Morrisons Daily as their first stand-alone convenience store.
“We chose Morrisons because it’s a very strong brand that everyone knows and their own-brand labels cater for all tastes and budget requirements. Morrisons has a great range of products and produces a large proportion of their own products in Britain”
Kelsie Whittemore added: “We also like the flexibility of being a Morrisons Daily franchise. We are able to offer a range of local products, which is really important for the area we are in. We did a survey a few months ago, asking what local residents wanted from the store. We received over 600 responses with hundreds of locals expressing a desire for local products and suggesting which local brands they would like in the store. Providing local products was central to serving the community.”
Shaftesbury Morrisons Daily Serving The Community
Speaking of serving the community better by partnering with Morrisons Daily, it’s something Elite Garages across the UK firmly believe in. On this, Ian Watmore, Elite Garages Operations Manager, said: “The local residents are thrilled to have a convenience store back in this prominent building. We’ve received lots of positive feedback already, and lots of comments about how friendly and welcoming the team are.”
Of all the amazing local produce, they are predicting that the products will not only be popular among the locals but also for tourists in summer. This is mainly because people often like buying things local to where they are staying or visiting. Ian added, “If the local product concept continues to succeed, we will definitely consider selling some of those lines in our forecourt stores too.”
Shaftesbury Morrisons Daily Is Good For Business
Not only will motorists visiting Elite Garages Shaftesbury benefit from the nearby store but the partnership with Morrisons Daily also bodes well for the community. Shaftesbury mayor Councillor Andy Hollingshead believes it has the potential to attract more business.
“It looks terrific … when you remember what an eyesore it has been! Once again it demonstrates how great a venue Shaftesbury is for business, businesses want to come here.”
Kelsie Whittemore said that the town has given the entire team a very warm welcome. “The generosity and kindness we’ve received from everyone in Shaftesbury have been amazing. We’ve really appreciated it.”
Elite Garages Shaftesbury Ready For Action
The new Elite Garages Shaftesbury branch opened on 7 February and will be overseen by Area Manager Ricky Dyer. Ricky will have his hands full as he already manages branches in Salisbury, Bournemouth and Southampton.
On the opening of Morrisons Daily, Ricky said: “We’re excited to be opening in a lovely town like Shaftesbury. This great location in Shaftesbury means it’s easy to leave your vehicle with us and explore the town or you can enjoy our free customer WiFi whilst waiting for your vehicle. We have brand new, state-of-the-art equipment in our workshop and a spacious, modern waiting room for our customers.’
For more information about the new Elite Garages Shaftesbury or the Shaftesbury Morrisons Daily, please contact your nearest branch or email us: enquiries@elitegarages.co.uk.
