New store and restaurant for prominent Ipswich town centre site

A businessman hopes that a new supermarket and restaurant on a prominent site will revitalise a town centre.

Ipswich Bazaar is set to open in June at the site of the former Poundland store in Carr Street, which for many years housed the town's Woolworths.

The store will include meat and fish counters, a greengrocers, bakery and an 80-seat restaurant.

Business owner Ariful Islam said the development would create up to 60 jobs.

"I'll be selling grocery stuffs from all over the world, so for all the community that lives in Ipswich," said Mr Islam, who has secured a 25-year lease on the site.

The premises, which measures 26,000 sq ft, sits on the main shopping thoroughfare in Ipswich and has been empty since the Poundland store closed in March 2023.

It was previously the site of the town's Woolworths store, which opened in 1923 and closed when the High Street chain went into administration in 2008.

Mr Islam, who has lived in Ipswich for 14 years, said the town used to be "so lively".

He continued: "[Now] it looks absolutely dead. Everything is moving away, so I thought 'what can be done for the town to bring people inside the town and get like what you used to see?'"

Mr Islam said the multicultural store would have a 46ft (14m) Halal meat counter and a 16ft (5m) fish counter.

The restaurant will serve Indian and Turkish food throughout the day, from store opening at 08:00 to closing at 23:00, as first reported by the Ipswich Star.

The shop, which will be open seven days a week, will provide up to 60 jobs for the local community.

"I'm guessing I will offer at least 50 to 60 jobs at the beginning and hopefully, if everything works out, it will grow maybe up to 100 people," said Mr Islam.

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