Greggs to open on Thursday
HOT snack giant Greggs is to open its first store in Burbage over the next couple of days.
The outlet is the first of seven units to open in a £4.5 million retail complex on a roundabout on Rugby Road, opposite the Hansom Cab pub.
Heart of England Co-operative Society is running the centre and had previously said Greggs would open last week, but a sign on the shops door said it will launch on Thursday December 12, at 8am.
The bakery chain has taken on a glass-fronted unit that faces onto the main road, which has been fitted out with a row of tables and chairs for customers.
Next to open in the Rugby Road complex are Johnsons Cleaners and Toolstation, on Monday December 16.
A sign has been put in place above the entrance Toolstation, saying the shop will be “open all to all 7 days a week”.
Greggs already has two branches nearby in Hinckley town centre, one in Castle Street and the other in the Britannia Centre.
Johnsons was based at the location before the development, and the business has continued to operate there while the building works took place.
Heart of England Co-operative Society is setting up a convenience store in one of the spaces, which is set to open on January 16, 2020, with an official opening event on January 18.
Chief executive Ali Kurji said: “We have had a presence in Hinckley for many years and are delighted to be returning with the opening of our new food store on the 18th January 2020.
“It is an incredibly exciting project and one which will mark a new chapter for the Heart of England Society in the region.”
Goody bags with scratch cards, premier foods and other items will be available for the first 100 customers at the Co-op opening event.
A prize draw and balloon animals for children will also be going on.
The other groups moving in, which are yet to confirm an opening date, are Topps Tiles, The Salvation Army, which is creating a donation centre in one of the larger units, and tanning group Consol, which is setting up a salon.
Mr Kurji said previously that they expect a lot of shoppers will come from the residential areas nearby as well as motorists passing through.
He said: “We will get a lot of footfall from the houses across the road and people going back in the evening.
“There’s a reasonable amount of parking.
“It’s a question of you pop in and get what you want, pick it up and go home.
“You don’t have to spend a lot of time in a convenience store.”
The boss said the society’s shop will feature lots of chilled and convenience food and will create 15 jobs.
Heart of England formerly ran the Co-op store in Hinckley town centre at the top of Castle Street, a department store with homeware and electrical items, which closed in January 2016.
Mr Kurji said: “It was a very painful decision for me and our directors to exit from that business model.
“The whole landscape has changed. There’s so much online, with eBay and Amazon.
“It was something I did not wish to do. I could not carry on in non-food.
“I always had on my mind if things worked out to come back into Hinckley. I wanted some kind of presence in Hinckley in the food business. I’m pleased we have come back.”
The seven units will be spread across three buildings with dedicated parking, bin stores, a cash machine and cycle shelters.