Whitchurch chosen for champagne lifestyle
Forget lavish homes or expensive motor cars there is a new way to tell if you live in an affluent neighbourhood.
Supermarket giant Sainsbury's has chosen only 53 of its 1,000 nationwide stores to sell upmarket brands of champagne, including £130 bottles of Krug and a range of Bollinger 'Cru' vintages.
And according to supermarket bosses Whitchurch is the only Shropshire town posh enough to sell its upmarket fizz.
It means the store, which only opened six months ago in London Road, could also be chosen for a two-tier system for spirits, potentially selling £70 bottles of 17-year-old malts or a £120 Glenmorangie.
The mayor of Whitchurch, Councillor Rob Hewson, said: "I haven't been in the Sainsbury's store yet which is probably the reason why it's been chosen.
"But I'm very pleased that Whitchurch has been selected by bosses at Sainsbury's. It just goes to show what a lovely town we have got. We are an ordinary town with a mixture of everybody and we have a great community spirit."
Last week it was announced that 4,000 homes and businesses in Whitchurch will be able to benefit from ultra-fast broadband services after bosses at Virgin Media choose to install a new network there.
Shropshire Councillor for Whitchurch Peggy Mullock said it was "great" big companies have their eye on the town.
She said: "Last week Virgin Media now Sainsbury's has chosen us for extra special treatment. We must be doing something right.
"I think it just goes to show that both companies have got good taste and they know people in Whitchurch are very discerning."
Ewan Caird, from the store, said: "Whitchurch and the surrounding villages are quite an affluent area and we hope this will bring in more customers."
A Sainsbury's spokeswoman added: "The response from our customers to this news has been very positive."
