900 applicants for 33 Shrewsbury Waitrose jobs
Tuesday 3rd May 2011, 2:54PM BST.
More than 900 people have applied to work at Shrewsbury’s first Waitrose store which is due to open in the town centre next week.
The 33 positions available at the convenience store on Pride Hill have attracted phenomenal interest from Shropshire people after they were advertised on the company’s website.
The retailer has also worked with Jobcentre Plus to find employment for priority cases.
A grand opening of the store is due to take place on May 12.
Simon Airey, president of Shrewsbury Business Chamber, said the new development would be a valued investment to the area as well as boost employment.
He said: “We are pleased to welcome Waitrose to our town centre which will give a valued boost to the local area. The recent quality business investment in the area shows just how important our thriving town is for coveted companies such as Waitrose.”
All new employees will become partners in the John Lewis Partnership, entitling them to a say in how the business is run, and an annual share in profits, which this year saw employees receive the equivalent of more than nine weeks’ wages in bonus. Bosses at Waitrose have also today confirmed it will donate £6,000 a year to local charities and projects selected by Shropshire people as part of its Community Matters initiative.
Barbara Parker, who will be managing the store, said: “We have been overwhelmed by the sheer number of applications and the calibre of those applicants has been fantastic. We only wish that we could create even more jobs in the area.
“I am confident that our store will make a really positive contribution to Shrewsbury, not only through the creation of jobs in the local area but through investing in the heart of Shrewsbury and supporting local causes.”
UK News
Most Commented
- Clampdown on Shrewsbury chuggers
- Bishop's gay marriage views do nothing to support bible teachings
- Letter: Alcohol price plans annoy me
- Planners ordered to stay on Newport visit bus
- Letter: Angered by close encounter of the furred kind
- Letter: No sense in overseas job adverts
- The Bleak Old Shop of Stuff doesn't raise a smile
Shropshire Star on Twitter
Keep updated with the latest breaking news and content on our Twitter feed.
Lifestyle
Interactive Dining Out map
Hundreds of reviews by the Shropshire Star and Express & Star's teams to help you decide where to eat.
Entertainment
All the film reviews
Before you plan a trip to the pictures, get our critics' verdicts on all the latest movie releases.
OUR NEW APP
Get the new Shropshire Star app
Download the Shropshire Star’s new app to your iPad or iPhone to get one week of access to our digital newspapers absolutely FREE.
shropshirestar.com
Popular sections
Useful links
welcome Waitrose. But when are you going to give us a full size store. its a long way to Newport.
Report abuse
The clowns at Shropshire planning should never have allowed this development, our smaller retailers within the loop struggle enough without having a faceless and irresponsible chain such as waitrose on pride hill. The 33 jobs are no doubt welcome but how many family businesses will be put under by this arrival. I’ll stick to local fresh produce from the Market Hall and I hope others who care about our town will do likewise.
Report abuse
Waitrose have a very good reputation for ethical trading. They’re not hell-bent on retail domination, unlike certain other supermarkets that could be mentioned.
Report abuse
Not too ethichal sadly as they still sell and refuse to label the cruel and inhumane ritualistic slaughtered halal meat. Until this vile practice stops I would never shop there.
Report abuse
How sad that you should use this topic to try and inflame hatred about the Muslim community – I note you make no mention of the very similar methods of killing in Kosher meat production.
I’ve read that some right-wing Christian groups and obviously groups of the extreme right such as the BNP have attempted to make this a big issue, given their excessive Islamophobia, but the paranoia around this is really not supported by the facts.
As a non-believer in any religion, on the one hand it seems pointless to say prayers over a dead or dying animal, but on the other hand, it does me no harm as a consumer, and if it allows the retailer access to a broader market (which is the only reason they do it – there’s no religious conspiracy here), then it makes no difference to me.
In the end, many religions have a history of archaic practices when it comes to eating – don’t forget it was only a few decades or so ago that the Catholics gave up the ‘fish on Friday’ doctrine.
As for the actual method of slaughter, the animal is unconscious when killed under Halal or Kosher practices, whereas in non-Halal practices it is killed with a captive bolt. Both are perfectly legal under British legislation and the animal is completely oblivious to what’s going on in either case.
Even when the throat is cut (while stunned) the resulting catastrophic loss of blood pressure leads to a very prompt death – so not ‘vile’ or ‘inhumane’ – just carried out by people whose skin colour and/or religion doesn’t meet with your narrow, bigoted views – which let’s face it, is the real basis of your objection.
The killing of an animal is, I’m sure, never a pleasant practice, but the vast majority of us eat them, and they simply wouldn’t be around in such numbers if we didn’t.
Report abuse
Sorry to disagree with you Peter, but much halal and all kosher slaughter involves cutting the animal’s throat while it is still conscious, your version is pure fiction.
The captive bolt gun you mention is used to stun animals BEFORE slaughter.
Iron Flag and others (myself included) are surely entitled to know if meat that we buy has been produced by these methods?
I object to halal/kosher slaughter on the grounds of animal cruelty, and believe that ALL religions are based on primitive superstition.
Report abuse
@ Peter (no reply button ??) – totally disagree.
I am very much opposed to battery ‘farming’ for hens and sows kept in narrow crates, as well as both halal and kosher slaughter.
Which religion would you like to accuse me of inflaming people against?
I would like to see both halal and kosher meat banned in this country. If people don’t like it let them eat vegetables.
Or at least non-stunned halal/kosher killing (who told you the animal is always stunned ??!!)
Or at the very very least, clear labelling.
Report abuse
A pathetic comment peter. It is you and no one else that has turned this into a race issue. You really do your leftist cause no favours with such comments and I pity your blinkered world view. My meat will always come from trusted humane and decent sources not from a Quasi-political and religious background of pain and distress to animals.
Report abuse
Ethical trading does not come into the loop when it will definately force local town centre food retailers out of business. We don’t need a Waitrose in th town centre, it needs to be on the retail park.
Report abuse
It’s easy to get carried away when a national retailer arrives providing a service that is catered for by independent businesses.
But let’s not forget that Waitrose’s arrival is one fewer reason why people should do their top-up shopping out-of-town. If people didn’t like supermarkets they wouldn’t shop there. Waitrose will drive footfall and up town centre spends. How independent businesses attract that footfall through their doors is up to them.
Report abuse
Waitrose will be an excellent addition to the Town Centre. I am sure that it will take some business from the Market Hall and some of the other local retailers. However, I’m also sure that it will increase footfall in the town. These visitors won’t be coming in to town just because there is a Waitrose but are more likely to decide to come in to town instead of an out of town supermarket because they know that they can pick up some products which were previously unavailable in town. People will not be doing their weekly shop in Waitrose, but it might persuade them to shop in the Town Centre rather than out of town.
Report abuse
The market hall has been in the same place for decades, if people choose to go waitrose then that is a choice they have made, emphasis on choice.
Report abuse
Can’t wait to see the disappointed faces of all the shoppers wanting to use Waitrose and then realise that there is no parking at all. With Frankwell and Ravens Meadows carparks a complete rip off and the park and ride basically useless, it’s going to be fun fun fun. Would you lug all your shopping home on a late park and ride bus? Most people won’t…
Blame the council they have ruined Shrewsbury.
Report abuse
People walking through the town with trollies and leaving them abandoned on the towns carparks..
And who’s going to use the Park and Ride when you have to drive to a supermarket ( Tesco/Sainsbury ) to catch a bus to a supermarket.
Report abuse
Most stores in Las Vegas have a device that locks the wheels if the trolly is removed from the building as they were always being stolen by the homeless.
Suggest it to the Waitrose management they might be receptive and it would obviously make you happy.
And, also blame the people that voted the council in and those that let them carry on without being questioned. You have a voice, use it or stop complaining.
Peace.
Report abuse
they used to have that in Safeways in Newport, which is actually now a Waitrose
Report abuse
Totally agree with Daz. I can’t see how anyone can do a weekly family shop in this location and then lug loads of carrier bags all the way to one of the (expensive) car parks or cram it into one of the overloaded buses. Waitrose would have been a great asset to the area, but it looks as if it’s going to be just another token branch supplying sandwiches and bottles of Perrier water to office workers in town.
Report abuse
Waitrose have deemed Shrewsbury town centre to be a viable place for investment.
That to me is a positive indication that Shrewsbury is considered by commerce as a thriving & buoyant town centre. Yes, of course they’re there for profit. No business invests with plans only to fail!
On the other hand, the shop space about to become Waitrose could remain derelict for years or perhaps become a charity shop. I have nothing against charity shops. I realise they do excellent work for their causes, however it is my experience that charity shops are abundant only in dieing town centres and there are plenty of those in Shropshire.
Like it or not, Waitrose arrival reflects positively on Shrewsbury.
Report abuse
That really is a staggeringly ugly and offensive building. Who the hell built something like that in a beautiful medieval market town ? I’m guessing it’s a 1960s effort when all planners were either off their heads on pot or fans of brutal Stalinist ‘architecture’ Knock it down !
Report abuse
Quite right and opposite is crown house a vile eyesore that replaced a lovely black and White ( abeit a copy )hotel. Shrewsburys councillors and planners since the 60s are guilty of robbing the town of heritage and culture and the over development of the town praised by the likes of nutting and loony ideas of Tandy mixed with the bland apathy of the libdems does not give great confidence. Give the town back over to the SHS and the Drapers!
Report abuse
I think this puts the lie to the tabloid myth that there are legions of people who don’t want to work in this country.
We have the prospect of up to a million jobs going in the next couple of years, in both the public and private sector thanks to the severe cuts, and despite the reassurances of the government, there seems to be little activity aimed at replacing those jobs, other than with jobs at or near the minimum wage, most of which are to some extent subsidised by the taxpayer.
Good luck to those seeking employment – let’s hope that the minimum wage is raised at least in line with inflation. Whilst I can see that small employers might have a case for paying less, the wholesale subsidy that is effectively offered to large employers who make very healthy profits on the backs of cheap labour realy does need to be phased out if we’re to avoid the race to the bottom and a sweatshop economy.
Report abuse
Peter come off it the vast majority of these applicants have been forced to apply for these jobs by the JC whether they want them is another issue .
As for the other issues on here regards parking come on you guys it is perfect for the town center residents its not for the unwashed.
Report abuse
give M&S a run for their money
Report abuse
I dont think shoppers at Waitrose are likely to leave trolleys abandoned all over the town.
Report abuse
Do you think that Sainburys, Morrisons and Asda etc should have been built like a huge fake mediaeval house?
We don’t want large windows and practical automatic doors, let the punters struggle to see what they are buying in the poorly lit interiors and see them duck through the tiny inadequate doorways. Get rid of chillers and sell the meat on the road again bringing back blood and guts running down the gutters.
Loony ideas Iron Flag? Only yours.
BTW Pat have you ever been in one of those metal structures on wheels or do you travel everywhere by horse or donkey?
Roads have destroyed far more heritage than anything else in this country (including bombs!) and yet I don’t hear anyone wishing to dispose of them.
Report abuse
Do you like that building then Eva ? It probably replaced something a lot more attractive and human-friendly. Buildings from the 17th Century are still working well today – but we’re having to demolish monstrosities built in the 1960s like the Tricorn Centre in Portsmouth.
Report abuse
I imagine eva would only live in an glass and concrete duplex designed by an obscure architect, but one who must have won an award of some kind… Some of us want to keep some heritage thanks.
Report abuse
What’s all this talk of people doing their weekly shop here? I was under the impression it’s going to be a cut-down version of a full-on Waitrose, most likely to be selling a selection of their popular convenience food lines – a bit like the M&S food store that opened in Lowtown in Bridgnorth. At Waitrose prices I doubt established traders will have much to worry about.
Report abuse
At last, a bit of common sense amongst some misleading and off-topic comments.
Report abuse
Politicians – we vote them to power.
You can’t buck the market.
If you don’t like Waitrose (or any other shop), the most effective form of protest is to shop somewhere else. Businesses don’t tend to remain if they have no customers and lose money.
The building may not be pretty but its been the same for many years. If there’s any merit in apportioning blame its probably more accurately directed at developers, planners and political adminstrations long since forgotten.
Report abuse