Kentish Express Ashford & District
New store opens a year after blaze
Shoppers flocked to the opening of a new Morrisons supermarket - a year after the original store burnt down.
Customers queued outside the multi-million pound Folkestone store ahead of its 9am opening last Thursday eager to see what new services lie inside.
Fire crews from Folkestone were the guests of honour and Yvonne Miller, from Sandgate, was the first customer to step inside the new store after queuing outside from 5.30am.
The 79-year-old was also the first in line at the opening of Aldi in Hythe in September and claims she caught the bug for queuing some years ago.
She said: “I couldn’t sleep so I thought I’d come down.
“I was here at 5.30am and had a chair and read.
“At about 7am they invited me inside.
“I’m usually a Waitrose girl but it looks good - I was given a bottle of champagne which is nice.”
The new shop boasts a wider range of groceries than the previous one including a selection of local produce, plus a bakers, butchers, fishmongers and deli.
Clothing from the Nutmeg range is also on offer, as is an in-house florist where bespoke bouquets can be put together.
Bosses have decided to increase the size of the Market Street cafe and have added a standalone barista bar - the first of its kind at a Morrisons in Kent.
Other new facilities include a pizza counter, free customer wifi and a community room, which can be hired out by local groups.
An additional 40 members of staff have been employed and all previous employees have retained their jobs.
It brings the work force to a total of 170.
More than 50 firefighters battled to save the shop last November after a blaze broke out in the cafe. It is understood to have started in a deep fat fryer.