GRAHAMSTOWN has to wait a little longer for the much anticipated Woolworths Food. The extension to the store was originally set for mid- April this year, but has been put on hold due to a delay in the approval of the plans.
GRAHAMSTOWN has to wait a little longer for the much anticipated Woolworths Food. The extension to the store was originally set for mid- April this year, but has been put on hold due to a delay in the approval of the plans.
Gary Poovan, the owner of Woolworths Grahamstown, stated that they are waiting on the retail development department of Woolworths for the approval which was delayed in March.
“Once the proposal is through, a representative from the department will arrive in April to assess the feasibility of the site.
That feedback will then be sent back to the head office of Woolworths to be given the go-ahead and only then can construction begin,” Poovan said.
Last year Poovan said that he hoped that they would be given the go-ahead at the beginning of January. It will take about three months for construction to be completed and a further six weeks to set up the food section.
The store will be extended at the back by 400m2, half of which will be used for the food range and the other half for the extension of the clothing, shoes and accessories range.
This will see a total shop floor space of 1 050m2 upped from the original 650m2. The question of whether there would be a food outlet has been asked since the store’s opening in 2000.
“There are many legalities and complications involved in this process so we need to do this properly, especially since the Woolworths brand is so important to us,” said Poovan.
