A SEVEN-MONTH supermarket refurbishment project will completely transform the store from an old and unsightly building into a bright and modern space.

New CGI images of the how the Aldi, located in The Broadway, Wickford, will look once refurbished reveal the scale of the transformation.

The supermarket, which temporarily closed on March 18, will be almost unrecognisable when it reopens on November 20.


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An Aldi spokesman confirmed the project was still expected to hit its November 20 opening date.

Echo: New designs - Wickford AldiNew designs - Wickford Aldi (Image: Aldi)

“We are looking forward to the Aldi reopening which looks fantastic,” Wickford North councillor Eunice Brockman said.

“With the new Morrisons construction still not yet underway, we are having a bit of a hard time at the moment in the town.

“But I’m a believer in a little bit of pain for gain. And soon we are going to have a couple of great supermarkets in the town.”

Echo: The store's former lookThe store's former look (Image: Google Maps)

Images of the new design show a spacious and open design, characterised by glass windows stretching the entire from the floor to the ceiling, allowing in as much natural light as possible.

Ms Brockman added: “I do feel sorry for those that don’t drive at the moment, with the two major supermarkets currently closed, but it will be lovely when they both open.”

Echo: Open and spacious designOpen and spacious design (Image: Aldi)

A scheme to bulldoze the Co-op off Wickford High Street – which closed in May of 2022 – was approved in September.

Developer Heriot UK was given permission to build a new supermarket in its place which would be leased to Morrisons.

When the scheme was approved, a spokesman for the developer said demolition of the former Co-op would begin in January, with the new store opening “at the end of 2023 or early in 2024”.

But with less than a week left of April, the former Co-op has yet to be knocked down.

Aldi has also recently revealed it wants to build two new stores in south Essex as it plans to invest more than £400 million in store development over the coming years.

 

Ideally, each location would be near a main road with good visibility and access, with Rayleigh and Basildon among its priority locations.