Ludlow’s former Woolworths store is expected to reopen as a Spar shop in autumn this year, it has emerged. The supermarket chain is gearing up for the relaunch in September.

A recruitment drive was advertised at the store in Castle Square earlier this week.

It is expected the new Spar could bring up to 25 jobs to the town.

Sarah Deakin, marketing manager for Tates Ltd, which owns and operates Spar Convenience Stares throughout the country, said: “It is going to generate between 20 and 25 staff vacancies, both full and part-time positions.”

She said plans were in place for the convenience store to provide a food-to-go facility along with groceries, chilled drinks and mobile phone top ups.

She added: “We are really excited about it. We hope it will be nice, we think Ludlow is a lovely place. We hope we can add to the town.”

Peter Cook, president of Ludlow Chamber of Trade, said: “I’m pleased that shop will no longer be empty.

“It’ll be another draw for people to come up into the square and invigorate that end of town.”

Ludlow’s Woolworths was one of the final branches of the chain to close in January this year.

The chain, which had been going for almost a century, closed 800 shops. The closure saw 22 people lose their jobs.

Councillor Martin Taylor-Smith, Mayor of Ludlow, welcomed the announcement.

He said: “It’ll bring people back into the centre of town which is very important for all the businesses in that area, including the market.

“There has been a decline in the number of visitors in the centre since Woolworths closed and it’ll hopefully rectify that situation.”