Boris is looking forward to pubs returning in April. Is yours?
A FORMER Burton toy shop is preparing to reopen in new larger premises.
Midco Toymaster has moved out of its old store in High Street into a larger unit in the former Evans clothing store in The Octagon shopping centre. Its former store on High Street is now on the market.
Midco Toys owner David Middleton revealed earlier this month that he would be moving to The Octagon shopping centre as the premises was a lot bigger and it would mean he would not longer have any problems with deliveries, as the pedestrianised area in had High Street made this difficult at the old shop
The toy shop first started out in New Street 19 years ago, before moving to bigger premises in High Street where it has been for the last 10 years and now it is moving to a bigger shop again.
The new Midco Toys will be based in the former Evans shop between HMV and Poundland. It is hoped the shop will be ready for when non-essential shops can reopen on April 12, as part of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s roadmap out of lockdown.
The toy shop has been closed since the beginning of the year due to the lockdown but Mr Middleton said the new shop will be ‘bigger and better’ with the same items as before but much more of them.
Its former shop is being offered with a rent of around £19,950 per year or to buy it freehold for £275,000.
ITS been a long time coming but soon we will be able to enjoy a well-earned pint at our favourite pubs again.
They will be able to open outdoor spaces such as beer gardens from Monday, April 12, under the Government’s roadmap for exiting the pandemic.
And the good news is that a number of pubs in Burton and South Derbyshire plan to welcome customers back from that day.
Those in Burton and surrounding villages include:
■ The Loaf and Cheese, Waterloo Street;
■ Oak and Ivy, Wellington Street;
■ Anglessey Arms, The Green;
■ Plough Inn, Horninglow Road North;
■ The Last Heretic, Station Street (opening April 15);
■ The Three Horseshoes, Station Road Barton;
■ Royal Oak, The Green Barton.
In South Derbyshire, these pubs will be reopening:
■ The Greyhound Inn, Woodville;
■ New Inn, High Street, Woodville;
■ Bodells, Belmont Street, Swadlincote;
■ Midway Inn, Midway, Swadlincote;
■ Railway Inn, Midway Road, Swadlincote
■ Miners Arms, Church Street, Church Gresley (weather permitting).
The imminent reopening of pubs comes as Wetherspoon, which runs the Lord Burton in Burton High Street, is set to invest £145 million opening new pubs and upgrading existing ones, creating 2,000 new jobs, the company has announced.
The ambitious plans will start within weeks of its pubs reopening fully as the lockdown eases.
A total of 18 new pubs will open and “significant extensions and upgrades” will be made to scores of current pubs.
The first new pubs and extensions will be in towns and cities including Leeds, Birmingham, Newport Pagnell in Buckinghamshire, Sheffield, Felixstowe in Suffolk,
Heswall on the Wirral, Dublin, Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire, Carmarthen and Glasgow.
Once all 75 projects in the pipeline are completed, Wetherspoon said it anticipates investing £750 million to open 15 new pubs and enlarging 50 existing pubs each year for 10 years, creating 20,000 new jobs.
Wetherspoon founder and chairman Tim Martin said: “Our immediate investment will provide work for architects, contractors and builders as well as result in 2,000 new jobs for staff in our pubs.
“We are geared up to start on the first projects within a few months.
“We are also committed to our long-term investment and job creation programme over the next decade.
“However, the investment is conditional on the UK opening back up again on a long-term basis, with no further lockdowns or the constant changing of rules.”
■ If you know any other pubs in Burton and South Derbyshire that will be opening from April 12, do get in touch on 01283 245050 or by emailing reporter Adnan Rashid on adnan.rashid@reachplc.com