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Here is the Nottinghamian from Thursday, February 16.
Hello,
Today's edition of the Nottinghamian brings news of Wilko "fighting to survive" as it plans to cut 95 jobs in Nottinghamshire. The business said it is still trying to match pre-pandemic figures.
We will also take a look at plans to improve tourism at Nottinghamshire's most famous place, Sherwood Forest. Plus we take a look at a new city restaurant and plans for Mapperley high street.
'Fight for survival'
More than 400 jobs will be lost at Wilko as the retailer bids to cut costs in a "fight for survival". Wilko reportedly plans to cut 95 workers at its contact centre in Worksop after outsourcing to a company in South Africa, as well as 150 assistant store managers and reducing hours of team supervisors equivalent to a loss of 150 full-time workers.
The company, which is based in Manton Wood Enterprise Park in Worksop, previously warned of its plans to outsource its customer service operations and that from February 2023 all customer enquires would be dealt with by a third party.
Wilko is the UK's 23rd biggest retailer with a 20,000 product lines, from household goods to pet food, across more than 400 stores. However, the business is struggling with the number of shoppers on the high street still more than 10% lower than the levels experienced before the pandemic. Read more here.
Maximising
A masterplan is being developed to maximise the offering for visitors at Sherwood Forest. Newark and Sherwood District Council and partner organisations are working together to address the gap between expectations and reality for visitors to the site.
The plan being developed will focus on the development of Forest Corner, north of Edwinstowe, which acts as the primary entrance to Sherwood Forest, and they will also be looking to improve the Robin Hood experience. Work initially began on the masterplan and developing Forest Corner in 2019, with an online public consultation on draft proposals taking place in July 2020.
The project was stalled until September 2022 to prioritise supporting coronavirus recovery in the district. It is hoped that the new plan will provide better connectivity to Edwinstowe high street, develop the Robin Hood visitor offer, increasing visitor volume and dwell time, while also "adding logic and flow to the visitor journey through Sherwood Forest".
The council hopes that the plan will help grow the visitor economy in the area, create local jobs, increase visitor spending and opportunities for new skills. It is expected that the fully developed masterplan will return to Newark and Sherwood District Council’s Cabinet for consideration in summer 2023. Read more here.
Weather and trivia
Weather: Cloudy and very windy, with patchy rain, mostly light, spreading in from the northwest from late Friday morning. Becoming drier and less windy later in the afternoon. Maximum temperature 14 °C.
UV: Low
Further reading: Doctor's sadness as village hall fire damages GP practice
Trivia question: The roads on the Lunar Estate in Bulwell are named after what?
The answer to today's trivia question is at the bottom of the newsletter.
Transformation
Plans have been granted for the development of a restaurant and bar at the site of a former Lloyds TSB bank in Mapperley. The proposals for the old bank in Plains Road will also see the creation of four apartments, four offices and retail space.
The bank was shut down during the pandemic. Hillcrest Properties, a third-generation family property company based in Nottingham, successfully secured planning consent for the site.
Work is set to start on the £2.25million scheme over the coming weeks and the units will be available to rent later this year. Developers said they have been "inundated" with interest from major operators.
New opening
A new restaurant is opening in the heart of Nottingham city centre - and even before the first official day it has raised more than £3,800 for the victims of the Turkish earthquake. A special event attended by more than 200 people was organised at Te'Mola by its Turkish owner Murat Yer.
Mr Yer already has a string of restaurants and takeaways, Ohannes Burgers, across Nottinghamshire and Turkey, but Te'Mola, an all-day venue, is his latest venture in the city he now calls home. Located in the former Turkish restaurant Antalya, which closed during the pandemic, the premises in Forman Street have undergone a major revamp.
Te'Mola roughly translates as tea break but there's much more on offer besides. The restaurant has opened on Thursday (February 16) for breakfast, lunch and dinner. To start the day there were British favourites such as avocado toast and eggs royale plus an Anatolian breakfast with fried egg, halloumi, sausage, potato, mushroom, feta cheese, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, olives and borek (a Turkish pastry).
But for the biggest appetites of all, the Lion's Feast has all the above plus turkey bacon, beans, hash browns, smashed avocado honey and jam - all for £12. Veggie and vegan breakfast options are also on the menu. Read more here.
That's all for today
Thank you for joining me for today's edition of The Nottinghamian. I hope you enjoyed it, and if you did why not sign up to receive it directly in your inbox every weekday by clicking here.
The answer to today's trivia question, the roads on the Lunar Estate in Bulwell are named after what, is Apollo astronauts.
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