New lease of life for Woolworths shop

FOLLOWING months of speculation, it has been confirmed that the former Woolworths site will be reopened as The Original Factory Shop.

Builders moved into the store on Monday to clear the building and begin the refit.

The site, which has been empty for months after the shock closure of Woolworths stores across the country was being advertised to let by property agency Stephen Smart.

A spokesman for the agency, said: "The Original Factory Shop showed interest in the site very quickly, it generally looks to move into town sites like the one in Helston."

Colin Leggatt, the marketing director for The Original Factory Shop, said the opening of the new store was planned for the end of July.

On track

"We are aiming to get the store open for the end of July, but it depends what we find when we rip out the old furnishings.

"It could be longer if we encounter problems, but everything is on track so far."

He added that, depending on the size and how busy the site was, the store could mean up to 25 new jobs for local people.

Vacancies, including the positions for store manager and assistant store manager, are advertised on the company's website.

The Original Factory Shop company has a number of sites in Cornwall, the nearest of which is in Redruth.

According to its website, the company specialises in offering smaller communities a department store 'that would not normally trade in small towns'. It offers people who are unable, or find it difficult to travel to bigger towns or out of town shopping centres, such as the elderly or young mums without a car a "very effective alternative".

The company was formed in 1969 and sold over-stock and seconds from Marks and Spencer. It stocks items including clothes, footwear, toys and various household goods.

The website reads: "We aim to be part of the local community, bringing local jobs for local people that would not normally be found, regenerating shopping centres that would otherwise remain empty, providing an increase in customer traffic for local retailers as well as ourselves and breathing life into these otherwise quiet streets."

Coinagehall Street, a once bustling street in Helston, has been much quieter since the closure of Woolworths, since then, two businesses in the street have closed and re-opened, including Trelawney's nightclub (now known as Remedies), The Angel and this week, The Seven Stars.