Huge Trago Mills store takes shape

IT has been six months since building work began at the site of Trago Mills’ first store in Wales.

And, judging by the latest images of the site in Merthyr Tydfil, contractors Kier Construction Western & Wales have been powering ahead to get the store ready in time for its planned opening by Easter of 2018.

The new images, shot by Aerial Optics UK, show the scale of the site – just off the A470 and opposite Cyfarthfa Retail Park – and reveals the work being done inside the store.

A section of the car park has also been built and work continues to be undertaken on exterior structures.

It is hoped Merthyr will become a major shopping destination for residents in the Valleys and Mid Wales.

The man behind Trago Mills’ first store in Wales, Bruce Robertson, has previously dismissed fears the firm’s store is a threat to town centre businesses.

The retailer is due to open in Merthyr by Easter 2018, with owner and chairman Robertson describing it as a shopping experience with plenty of space and leisure facilities for families.

Work began at the £40m retail and leisure store at the end of September after the site was first acquired during the 1990s.

The 30,250 square metre facility will be another addition to the Valleys shopping destination after Cyfarthfa Retail Park’s expansion in recent years.

Trago Mills, which currently has three stores in Devon and Cornwall, was founded in the mid-1960s in Cornwall by Mike Robertson, Bruce’s father.

The firm sells around 180,000 products across 38 departments in its current stores, covering furniture, gardening, sports, toys, fishing, kitchens, bathrooms, carpets, DIY, tools, motoring, electrical, clothing and footwear.

The new store in Merthyr will also include a café, leisure facilities, a petrol station, among other planned facilities.

It is thought around 400 jobs will be brought to the area through the facility, in retail, leisure and warehousing, while jobs are also created during construction.