Local flooding from the River Severn in Worcester has blocked access to Warner’s Supermarkets’ new Upton upon Severn store, putting it out of action since Saturday.
Guy Warner’s forecourt-based outlet, which opened last year as the first “Together with Morrison’s” model, remained operational last Thursday when Hanley Road, where it is located, first flooded.
But by Friday, the site’s Gulf fuel station had closed as there was no access for vehicles and customers could only reach the store on foot.
By Saturday, pedestrian access was blocked and the store had no choice but to close.
“We can’t get deliveries in and we can’t get customers in,” Warner’s marketing manager Lucy Worrall told Convenience Store.
However, the area is no stranger to flooding and Worrall explained that the store had invested in precautionary measures to ensure that there was no damage to the building itself. “The river floods so we knew it was a potential issue. The store has been built up so water is never going to get anywhere near the store. It was what we’ve planned for.
“Hanley Road is flooded and closed so there’s no access to the store, but we’ve got floodgates all around our car park and building. The floodgates have definitely done their job, if you look down on it from above the shop looks like an island!”
It is hoped that the closure will be short-lived. “Hopefully, on Wednesday we will reopen, but obviously we’ll just have to monitor the water levels and how quickly things go down and go from there,” said Worrall.
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