B&Q commits to Burton distribution depot until 2017

HUNDREDS of jobs look set to be secured for the next three years after bosses at a DIY giant pledged their future to the town.

Major concerns were raised over the future of the B&Q depot in Burton Road, Branston, after proposals to build 500 new homes and a new school were given the green light on the very same site.

Worried of the impact that the firm pulling out of the town would have, Burton MP Andrew Griffiths stepped in and wrote to B&Q bosses in a bid to get assurances over the site’s future.

Now, company chiefs have insisted that they are here for the foreseeable future after securing an extension on its lease at the site until 2017.

Mr Griffiths said: “The news that the future of the B&Q distribution depot in Branston has been secured until 2017 is great news and will be a big positive for many people who rely on the site for income.

“I am delighted that the DIY giant has chosen to continue at the site in Branston and, as a result, countless jobs are secure until at least the end of the new deal in 2017.”

The DIY giant have been operating on the site for more than 10 years and has employed a varying number of staff at the site, topping more than 600 in previous years.

Mr Griffiths went on to add that he is now working to make sure that B&Q remains a permanent fixture in the town, beyond the conclusion of the firm’s current lease in three years time.

“It is my long-term aim to guarantee that B&Q remains in Burton for as long as possible.

“This would help secure lots of jobs and also keep a prestigious and well-known firm based in this town.

“Now, this could mean at the site in Branston Road or elsewhere in Burton, but either way still in this town.

“Jobs have been secured at the site and now we have to work to make sure that that is not the end of the good news.”

However, news that the firm have extended its lease at the site throws plans to develop the location into the air.

The proposals were initially given the go-ahead by planning chiefs last October, but there has been no movement since that point.

Source : Rob Smyth - Burton Mail
www.burtonmail.co.uk/News/Jobs-secure-as-DIY-giant-BQ-pledges-future-to-town-20140617080000.htm