The Willow Brook Centre, Bradley Stoke’s new town centre development, opened its doors to the public today, when the giant new Tesco Extra store began trading.
A small group of shoppers and representatives of the local media assembled outside the Town Square entrance to the centre’s shopping mall shortly before 8am this morning.
On the stroke of eight o’clock, the shutters to the new store were raised and security staff allowed the first shoppers into the centre.
First into the store was Nigel Grove from Portishead, a landlord with a number of properties in Bradley Stoke, closely followed by a group of local schoolchildren. The first shoppers were greeted by Tesco Customer Service Manager Matt Hill and Publicity Representative Darryl Freedman.
A number of early shoppers were presented with £10 vouchers to spend in the store. A delighted Mr Grove said “I spent my two vouchers on Christmas chocolates – that’s the earliest I ever done my Christmas shopping!” He was later seen leaving the store with a trolley full of bargains.
Once the initial rush was over, quiet returned to the Town Square, and it was time for Bradley Stoke Mayor Robert Jones, Willow Brook Centre manager Scott Lahive and Tesco Extra manager Oliver Hill to take part in a live interview on BBC Radio Bristol [listen again: broadcasts at +1:19 and +2:07, available for the for next seven days only].
