TWO supermarket chains are interested in opening stores in Bury St Edmunds, but what the town needs is more hotels, the boss of a business group has said.
The East Of England Co-operative Society Ltd has applied to carry out works for a food store at the former Bartles furniture shop in Out Risbygate, including a new shop front and ATM.
And Morrisons is interested in coming to the town, a St Edmundsbury Borough Council spokeswoman said, but there is no firm site.
Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Asda, Waitrose, Marks & Spencer, and the Co-op, already have food stores in the town, and an Aldi is due to open in Newmarket Road.
Mark Cordell, chief executive of town centre business improvement group Bid4Bury, said: “I think there’s enough supermarkets in the town. There’s enough places in the town centre when you think of Waitrose, Marks & Spencer and Tesco Express.”
He added: “What I do think the town needs is more hotels.”
But David Nettleton, a borough councillor for the Risbygate ward, said he was not in favour of saying there was too much or too little of a particular business.
“That’s up to market forces,” he said.
He believes a convenience store in Out Risbygate would be used, but he raised the concern there could be traffic issues as drivers might stop on the busy road to pop in.
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