News: Welcome Break opens £55m services in Rotherham

After a slight delay caused by the weather, the new multimillion pound motorway service area (MSA) on the M1 in Rotherham is now open.

Rothbiz revealed in 2021 that Welcome Break, one of the UK’s leading motorway service operators, was to take on the site after outline planning permission was secured by Irish firm, Applegreen, for a new development at Junction 33 of the M1 at Catcliffe.

The first MSA opening in over 20 years for Welcome Break, sees the company investing €66m (£54.7m) in Rotherham.

Brands include Starbucks, KFC, Burger King, Waitrose, a standalone Starbucks Drive Thru, Pret a Manger, WHSmith, Chopstix, The Good Breakfast, and a convenient forecourt.

Welcome Break said in a statement: "Designed to look and feel just like a Yorkshire village, Rotherham is a completely new concept for our estate and one that makes stopping at Welcome Break a truly unique and memorable experience for our customers.

"Alongside top of the range facilities and dining options, the new service area has created approximately 230 new jobs – building our world class team, significantly boosting the local economy, and supporting the local community."

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Plans showed a main amenity building measuring 32,000 sq ft with seven concession units, a retail area, gaming area, toilets, seating and a kid's play area on the ground floor. A mezzanine floor includes an eighth unit, further seating and a business lounge / remote working hub. The site also includes 458 parking spaces, 28 EV charging points and dedicated HGV driver facilities.

Joe Barrett, CEO of Welcome Break posted about the opening on LinkedIn. He said: "Last week we opened Welcome Break’s £55 million state-of-the-art new Rotherham Motorway Service Area (MSA). It’s Welcome Break’s first new MSA in 20 years and showcases an entirely new concept for the brand.

"The new services area will create about 230 new jobs and more than 500 people worked on the construction phase of the project.

"It has been a really mammoth task to bring Welcome Break Rotherham to fruition, and I’d like to congratulate the entire Welcome Break team and all of its suppliers and contractors who put in such a huge effort to deliver a wonderful product for our customers."

Adrian Grimes, Commercial Director at Welcome Break, said: "Opening our 60th service area in Rotherham is a testament to our commitment to enhancing the journey experience for motorists across the UK. This new site will not only provide a variety of dining and retail options but also play a vital role in supporting the local economy through job creation. We are proud to contribute to the Rotherham community and look forward to serving travellers at this strategically important location."

Welcome Break website

Images: Welcome Break / LinkedIn

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News: Opening date revealed for new Welcome Break in Rotherham

The new multimillion pound motorway service area (MSA) on the M1 in Rotherham is set to open later this month.

Rothbiz revealed in 2021 that Welcome Break, one of the UK’s leading motorway service operators, was to take on the site after outline planning permission was secured by Irish firm, Applegreen, for a new development at Junction 33 of the M1 at Catcliffe.

In the UK, Applegreen is growing its Welcome Break business, which operates 58 sites, including 34 motorway service areas, and 31 hotels.

It is investing €66m (£54.7m) in Rotherham where around 300 jobs are being created.

The opening date has been confirmed as January 10.

With state-of-the-art facilities, the new MSA has been given the address of Orchard Road. Brands were revealed by Rothbiz first when recruitment got underway in 2024. These include Starbucks, KFC, Burger King, Waitrose, a standalone Starbucks Drive Thru, Pret a Manger, WHSmith, Chopstix, The Good Breakfast, and a convenient forecourt.

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Plans showed a main amenity building measuring 32,000 sq ft with seven concession units, a retail area, gaming area, toilets, seating and a kid's play area on the ground floor. A mezzanine floor includes an eighth unit, further seating and a business lounge / remote working hub.

Built by lead contractor HML on scrub land on either side of the motorway (where previous plans for a hotel and pub were approved but never implemented), the Welcome Break includes HGV parking and amenities to the north of the M1, with customer parking and amenities for other motorway users to the south of the M1, accessed via an underpass.

To access the 24-hour service area, visitors will use a new junction installed just before the A630 Rotherham exit of the roundabout. To exit, drivers will use a signal-controlled new access road joining the Rotherham - Sheffield Parkway where it has been recently widened just before the roundabout. An alternative exit for HGVs is being created via a new slip road to the A630 Rotherway.

Welcome Break website

Images: Welcome Break

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News: Partner sought for Rotherham Post Office

Rotherham's central Post Office in the town centre has been named in the latest list of Crown branches at risk of closure.

Post Office confirmed that it would be seeking partners for 37 of its directly managed branches as part of its efforts to secure its services in communities around the UK for the long term. This is in addition to 93 previously announced during the course of the last calendar year, nearly half of which have now successfully relocated into retail stores.

A partner is now being sought for the branch on Bridgegate in the town centre. If none can be found, the branch could close.

A second Post Offices on Wellgate is not part of the Crown network and offers less services.

The Bridgegate branch has been modernised in recent years with the addition of self-service machines and retail space for WH Smith stationery.

Rothbiz reported in October on the partnership between Heron Foods and Post Office which ensured that a branch remains in Dinnington.

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Roger Gale, sales and trade marketing director at Post Office, said: "We're committed to maintaining the Post Office's special place on the high street and the changes we are making underpin our continued commitment to give communities in every part of the country access to essential services.

"The Post Office's network of more than 11,600 branches is easily the largest in the UK, with 17 million customer visits a week. The vast majority of these branches are run with partners, and in the locations announced today we believe this will also be a more sustainable approach for the long term. With consumer habits changing, and the high cost of maintaining premises in prime high street locations, franchising helps us to keep services where our customers want and need them.

"We will take time to identify the right partners over the coming months and all proposals will be subject to local consultation.

"Post Office has a strong record of supporting people through change and we will be keeping affected staff fully informed as we develop our plans."

By franchising the Crown Post Offices to local businesses, the Communication Workers Union has estimated that 300 jobs will be lost nationwide.

Sarah Champion, MP for Rotherham, said: "The Government has made the announcement of closures before even responded to a consultation it held on the Post Office last year which is totally unacceptable.

"The Crown Post Office in Rotherham provides vital services like passport renewal and driving licence verification, which will be difficult for to people to access elsewhere.

"Rotherham deserves better. The closures can only be seen as a systematic attack on our local services at a time Government should be investing in our infrastructure, not stripping it away."

Post Office website

Images: Google Maps

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News: Chapter set to close on WH Smith in Rotherham

Having closed its branch at Parkgate Shopping last year, national retailer, WH Smith looks set to close its store in Rotherham town centre.

WH Smith PLC is one of the UK's leading retailers and the High Street side of the business operates 615 stores selling a range of stationery, books, magazines and gifts in almost all of the UK's most significant high streets.

It now appears that Rotherham will be without the retailer as plans have been submitted for replacement signage at the prominent unit on College Street.

Fashion retailer H&M moved quickly to take over the Parkgate unit and now plans show that the British Heart Foundation (BHF) is looking to take on 37 / 39 College Street for a retail operation.

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WH Smith posted trading profits of £59m (up from £58m in 2014) for the High Street side of the business for the year ending August 31 2015. It closed ten stores during that financial year and the directors said that it "in High Street, we continue to manage the business tightly and our profit focused strategy continues to deliver sustainable growth."

An additional £10m of cost savings was identified making a total target of £20m over the next three years, of which £11m are planned for 2015/16. The £11m comes from rent savings at lease renewal, the store operating model, renegotiated marketing contracts and productivity improvements in distribution centres.

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is the nation's heart charity and the largest independent funder of cardiovascular research. It already operates two smaller stores in Rotherham town centre.

Over 60,000 tonnes of unwanted books, clothes and furniture were donated to BHF shops last year, helping them to raise £29.3m.

With 170 furniture and electrical stores nationwide and an ambitious opening schedule of 20-25 new stores per year, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) is the biggest and most successful charity retailer in the UK.

The charity is planning a 6,000 sq ft furniture and electrical retail store in Rotherham which will sell both donated stock and a range of new goods. The town centre operation would create six jobs and recruitment for a store manager is underway.

The units at 37 & 39 College Street have been marketed by Brassington Rowan and Lambert Smith Hampton (LSH).

Rotherham was one of the first 50 towns in the UK to sign up as a BHF Heart Town as part of the initiative to bring entire communities together through local fundraising and volunteering to help beat heart disease.

WH Smith website
British Heart Foundation website

Images: Brassington Rowan

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