40 new jobs on the way in Shrewsbury furniture shop move
More than 40 jobs are set to be created in Shrewsbury town centre if a family furniture store gets the go-ahead to take over a former sports shop site.
Bosses at Turners Furniture are in talks about taking over the 30,000 sq ft former JJB Sports store in the Darwin Shopping Centre.
It comes after the firm's unit in the Riverside Shopping Centre closed last week because of trouble renewing the lease due to the town's new £150 million shopping development.
Managing director Alan Turner today said it was disappointing that the Riverside Centre store, which was on the former T J Hughes site, had closed but said the 30 jobs created earlier this year had been redistributed elsewhere in the company.
He said the new branch, if the lease is confirmed within the next 12 weeks, would create about 40 full and part time positions.
"The Riverside site has closed and we are relocating due to the £150 million shopping centre redevelopment," Mr Turner said.
"It's a shame we've got to go but the landlords are not in a position to renew leases on units here because of the major work planned."
Kevin Lockwood, manager of the Darwin, Pride Hill and Riverside Shopping Centres, confirmed: "Turners has closed its store in the former T J Hughes store in the Pride Hill Shopping Centre due to the upcoming £150m redevelopment of Shrewsbury's shopping centres."
