ÖPIK AND BATES COMMENT ON CLOSURE OF WOOLWORTHS

12.00.00am GMT Tue 6th Jan 2009

Mick and Lembit with Woolworths manager in Newtown on the 6th of Jan: the final day of trading.

January 2009 saw the closure of two Woolworths stores in Montgomeryshire.

Lembit Öpik MP says:

"The closure of Woolworths in Welshpool last week and Newtown this week signals the end of an era. Woolies has graced our streets for just under a century and everyone has a personal connection with the shops. But recessions aren't swayed by sentimentality and the pain felt by the company, its staff and its customers underline the seriousness of the economic downturn. We're working to help as much as we realistically can to assist in dealing with this dreadful loss of employment. I'm hopeful that most staff will find alternatives. But none of this reduces the tragedy of seeing a household name - a great brand - going to the wall."

Mick Bates AM added:

"It is a sad day for the employees and customers of Woolworths. I am a regular customer and I will miss it very much. My sympathies lie with those who have lost their jobs at this difficult time. I hope that it will not be long before new businesses take over the premises in Newtown and Welshpool bringing new jobs and new opportunities to our area.

"Sir Geoff Mulcahy, Chairman of the British Retail Consortium, believes that the decision to close Woolies was a disgrace and that the chain could have been saved. Big City firms such as Deloitte, the Administrators for Woolworths, hardly have a track record of acting in the best interests of the workers whose futures they decide. I sincerely hope that the likely loss 27,000 UK jobs at Woolies is truly necessary, and I believe that Deloitte have to do a better job of convincing the public that this is so."

End / Diwedd