BOSSES at Waitrose insist they have had a positive reaction from the community after unveiling plans for a new store in Parsons Green.
The supermarket giant held a two-day public exhibition at the H.R. Owen Alfa Romeo showroom, in Heathmans Road, last Thursday (25/11) and Friday (26/11), where they hope to build a multi-million pound store.
They have agreed to take over the lease at the car dealership and hope to submit a planning application to Hammersmith and Fulham Council this month and open by Christmas 2011.
Mike Newton, development surveyor at Waitrose, told the Chronicle: "This area fits the bill perfectly for us. We will not be extending the site and will just be using the ground floor.
"There has not been too much interest from the public which usually suggests they are not overly concerned. Of the people who came to our exhibition, I would say about 80 per cent have backed a Waitrose here.
"Because there is no parking available we expect people to pop in for their essentials as opposed to doing a large shop so it will very much be a convenience store in every sense of the word."
The new Waitrose will compete with a Co-Operative store and Bugdens chain all within walking distance.
Sunda Patel, who has run the Budgens for four years, said: "This is definitely going to impact on my business so I am not happy about it.
"We were here first and then the Co-Op came. We survived that and we will survive this. We have a loyal customer base and they will keep us going."
Mr Newton said: "There is a lot of competition here but that is the same anywhere.
"Businesses in the this street will be affected but it will force them to focus more on their prices and customer service which can only be a good thing."
The new Waitrose will create 60 jobs and will include a pastry and coffee area with the retailer pledging to donate £500 a month to local charities and projects through their Community Matters Scheme.
Opening hours would be 7am to 10pm between Monday to Friday, 8am to 9pm on Saturday and 11am to 5pm on Sundays.
You can view the plans in full and leave your comments at www.waitroseparsonsgreen.co.uk .
