The decade-long wait for a new supermarket in Alsager has finally come to an end as Sainsbury’s opens the doors of its new store on the former Twyford Bathrooms site.
It has been more than ten years since Sainsbury’s originally planned to open a store near the Alsager-Church Lawton border, but the decision was made not to go ahead with the build due to changes in supermarket shopping habits and the food retail market.
The company announced plans in January last year, however, to relaunch its previously approved plan with some changes. This included reducing the number of parking spaces and pumps at the petrol station, as well as scrapping the in-store cafe.
Additions have been made, though, as a Starbucks drive thru is set to provide customers with their daily coffee fix, while an Argos shop will be present within the medium sized supermarket. And as well as the petrol station there are EV charging stations which customers who own electric cars can use to recharge their vehicles.
Local residents have expressed excitement over the opening of the new store which boasts 249 free parking spaces. This is all the more significant after parking charges were introduced in November last year at three of the town’s car parks, including Fairview which is located next to Asda and close to many local businesses.
The petrol station has also been welcomed as a necessity for the area, as up until now Alsager had been without one for many years. Residents were instead forced to travel to Tesco in Kidsgrove or use Lawton Services to refuel their cars, while those with Nectar cards had to venture to Sainsbury’s in Newcastle-under-Lyme to use their points.
Adding to this positivity, Sainsbury’s has created 100 new jobs, as well as contributing £500,000 towards highway improvements in the local area, particularly on Linley Lane where the main entrance to the store is located. A fifth of this money has been used towards a Saturday bus service.
The location of the store is advantageous as it is next to a fairly new housing estate, while those commuting from other towns and villages can visit without having to drive into Alsager’s town centre.
Alsager now has two Sainbury’s stores, as there is an existing Sainsbury’s Local on Crewe Road which will remain open.
There is no in-store Tu clothing at the new Alsager Sainsbury’s
Despite the many advantages Sainsbury’s will bring to Alsager, residents have shared their biggest disappointment about the shop on Brunds Farm Road. The Tu clothing brand, which is available to buy at over 400 Sainsbury’s stores, will not be for sale except for click and collect.
Sainsbury’s had reported last year there would be a ‘carefully curated’ selection of its popular clothing range. Since then plans were changed, meaning there are still few locations in Alsager which allow customers to browse clothes in-store.
Ange Lawrence, an Alsager resident, revealed she would continue to travel to Sainsbury’s in Newcastle-under-Lyme in order to shop the Tu clothing range. She said: “I like going to Sainsbury’s in Newcastle because of the Tu clothing range and the Habitat range. I think the new Alsager store has missed a trick not stocking these.
“I know they are saying you can order online to collect, but we could do that anyway with the little Sainsbury’s in Alsager.
“I tend to go to Sainsbury’s Newcastle if I want something today, I don’t want to order. I also find that the clothing and homeware is often an impulse purchase because I see something that I like while I’m there. So I’ll probably continue to visit the Newcastle store when I want to go to Sainsbury’s.”
Some shoppers may have been put off from visiting Alsager’s town centre due to the parking charges imposed by Cheshire East, but Ange said she would keep using local businesses.
“The parking issue at Asda doesn’t really impact me as I tend to walk into town wherever possible, so I’ll still use Asda and the local shops like Rose’s Refills,” she continued.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’ll definitely pop into Sainsbury’s every now and then, but I’m more likely to still walk into town so that I can visit several shops and visit the Newcastle store.”
Mrs Lawrence is not the only shopper to be disappointed by the omission of Tu clothing. Another local resident, Joanne Smith, questioned the purpose of having a new Sainsbury’s when it would offer little more than groceries.
She said: “What was the point of doing a Sainsbury’s in Alsager? No Tu clothing and no Habitat, Alsager has nothing as per usual.
“The only clothing is Wall Street [a local clothes shop] and not everybody can afford those prices.
“As for the petrol and diesel we will have to see how much Sainsbury’s charge. I’m totally frustrated!”
Other readers commented on social media, saying they needed to be able to feel and try on clothes before buying them, while one said Tu clothing is what they had been looking forward to the most about the new Sainsbury’s.
Alsager residents are excited about Sainsbury’s
Although the lack of in-store clothing has clearly caused disappointment among shoppers, the opening of Sainsbury’s has on the whole been met with positive responses.
Alsager’s population has continued to grow and many felt it was necessary to build a new supermarket which could provide the town with another destination to shop for their groceries.
Free parking and a brand new petrol station are certainly standout features of the new Sainsbury’s and the company will be hoping many residents make it their primary destination to buy groceries.
Alsager News 