Campaign to save doomed Telford store
A group of parents have launched a campaign to try and persuade Morrisons bosses to do a U-turn on plans to close one of its Shropshire stores.
Mother-of-three Ruth Hallybone has launched a campaign to save the store in Donnington, Telford, from closure. She has set up an online petition at www.change.org and also a Facebook group.
The Donnington branch is one of 10 "unprofitable" stores earmarked for closure by the supermarket giant. Up to 400 jobs could be lost across Britain if the closures go ahead.
Ms Hallybone said the store was in the perfect location for parents with children at Donnington Wood Junior and Infant Schools. News of the closure was met with a mixed reaction initially, with some shoppers saying they were not surprised because it was expensive compared to other supermarkets.
But Ms Hallybone, who has a seven-year-old at Donnington Junior and two other grown-up children, said: "I don't know who those people were who said that but it is certainly not representative of the views of everyone I have spoken to.
"The parents in the playgrounds at the two schools are up in arms about it.
"I use it every day. It is so convenient. There is a Co-op in Donnington, but that is too expensive, and I prefer Morrisons to Asda. We would urge anyone who wants to see the store stay open to sign the petition."
As well as the store in Donnington, other Midlands stores that will be affected include West Bromwich and Rugby.
A Morrisons spokesman said: "We have looked extremely carefully at whether these stores can be turned around but we cannot see a way of making them viable. We are therefore proposing their closure.
"We are consulting with colleagues and unions to reduce the risk of redundancies and we are looking at ways of redeploying colleagues around our business."
The Donnington store stands on the site of the former Champion Jockey pub.
That was demolished to make way for a Netto, but that closed and reopened as a Morrisons as part of a deal that saw the chain take over 16 branches of the discount store
. To sign the petition visit www.change.org/p/morrisons-stores-stop-the-closure-of-the-donnington-store
