Morrisons has undergone a great transformation both for its own benefit and the town’s.
Seeing a skills academy aimed at developing quality product is good news for customers which is great news for the business.
The skills academy provides other benefits however. An apprenticeship scheme means more young people have a chance to work on new skills and get out of unemployment. Only two new jobs were created but many more have been trained, giving them better prospects.
This investment shows the belief that the company has in the area and can only lead to positive outcomes for Grantham.
The investment in the store, in a central location in town, also promises to boost nearby business. Bringing in customers to a refurbished Morrisons will hopefully help rejuvenate the Isaac Newton Shopping Centre and the high street as a whole.
It is these sorts of measures that show the belief a company has in its customers and I’d like to see more national chains make this kind of leap of faith.
If the businesses are looking to create a strong market they could do worse than helping revitalise Grantham. As much as the Morrisons self-investment may help them, they can push the process along quicker with their own.
It has been a long held belief by many that the Grantham high street is dying out, giving way to more bargain shops and less exciting options.
Trying to reverse this trend is without a doubt a difficult fight, but it takes more than relying on locals staying in town to shop, we need businesses willing to make a commitment to us.