A village shop which closed suddenly, leaving employees jobless and residents without a village store is to re-open in time for Christmas.

The Costcutter shop at Rendlesham now has new owners and will begin trading on Saturday December 15 following a £40,000 refit.

The shop has been taken over by businessmen Zee Mohammed and Danny Stephan, who also own six other stores in the region.

Mr Mohammed said: “We’re delighted with our new store and can’t wait to open our doors to our customers for the first time.

“The opening comes at a great time for shoppers as the festive season is in full swing. We’re really looking forward to settling into the area and welcoming the local community to the store.

“We’ve identified that the local community are looking for daily top-up shopping, great fresh food and food-to-go, so we have worked hard at creating an offering that will meet all our shoppers’ needs.”

The Post Office, which many residents previously relied on to receive their pensions, will be available in store in the near future.

The shop, in Walnut Tree Avenue, shut its doors without warning on Thursday, October 11, leaving staff in the dark about their future and residents without access to a cash machine in the village.

Many of the former staff are understood to have now found other jobs but the reopening will create 10 new positions.

•See our previous story here

The shop’s closure was discussed by Rendlesham Parish Council on Monday, November 5 and all parties were keen to get the shop reopened due to those with restricted mobility struggling to access essential goods.

During the shop’s closure a local cafe and bar called the The Boardwalk, have been stocking a number of products such as milk and bread for those with limited accessibility.

Rendlesham parish clerk Heather Heelis said: “It’s wonderful news for the village – Rendlesham Parish Council is fully supportive of the shop opening and it’s amazing that we are going to have food facilities once again.

“We are looking forward to the opening but are proud of how the village pulled together over the last couple of months, especially the Boardwalk who supported residents with limited mobility.”

On Saturday the Mayor of Woodbridge, Councillor David Mortimer, will be cutting the ribbon at 10am at the new store, alongside the chair of Rendlesham’s Parish Council Kay Nash.

Representatives for Costcutter were unable to disclose reasons for the original closure.