Member Article

£10 million property investment sees Morrisons create 20 Leeds jobs

Leeds City Centre is set to see two new Morrisons convenience stores opening, despite earlier this year closing 10 ‘loss-making’ stores.

This comes after £10 million was injected into the retail units beneath the Capitol building by Evans Property Group.

By the end of January Leeds City Centre will have two new additions as Morrisons M Local stores open on The Headrow and Infirmary Street.

The M Local deal brings about the full occupation of the parade of retail units located underneath the Capitol office building.

Morrisons was represented by Savills.

Each store has created 20 new jobs in the City Centre and will be providing a balance of fresh food and on-the-go snacks and meals.

The Infirmary Street M Local store manager Paul Foster said: “We are proud to be the first of two M Locals opening in Leeds City Centre, creating new jobs and bring a mixture of fresh food and hot and cold snacks to the busy people of Leeds.

“Fresh food will be at the heart of our store and as a team we will work hard to be a positive addition to the local community.”

Chris Markwell manager of the M Local on The Headrow said: “My team and I already spent a day giving up our own time to run a British Heart Foundation store and will be working with the charity on future fundraising opportunities.”

Alan Syers, portfolio director at Evans Property Group, said; “The £20 million of investment into the Bond Court projects is having a spin-off effect into the immediate surrounding area and as a result the Infirmary Street unit has been identified by Morrisons as a good location for its M Local brand.

“We are delighted to have achieved full occupation of this retail parade as we launch Capitol to the market and look forward to seeing the new outlet become operational.”

The new stores will feature a ‘Food to Go’ section with fresh coffee, bacon sandwiches, pastries and a salad bar meaning customers can easily pick up food on the move.

The Morrisons M Local opened on Infirmary Street on Monday 26th January closely followed by the second store on The Headrow on Saturday 31st January.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clare Burnett .