STOURBRIDGE’S town centre development has been praised by business leaders as the Tesco superstore celebrates two years of trading.

Following almost a decade of negotiations and a host of negative comments, the supermarket giant opened its Crown Centre store on October 31, 2013.

At the time of opening, there were fears the store would push local businesses away from the high street, with one Stourbridge News reader even claiming that “Tesco is needed like a hole in the head”.

However these fears have not come into fruition, with Stourbridge town centre blossoming thanks to more than £100 million of investment.

Chamber of Trade chairman David Harcourt said the investment into the town will “only be good news for the traders and shoppers”.

He said: “Since the Crown Centre was redeveloped and re-opened after years of disruption, it has really brightened the town up.

“The clock area is now a nice centrepiece to the town, and the modern look and architecture is much more attractive for businesses.

“Stourbridge has had more than £100 million invested into it in the last few years, and this has brought greater competition, with a lot of units being taken up by new retailers.

“We also have a number of future developments in place, especially for Lower High Street with the old cinema, and others which are a bit too early to confirm as of yet.”

The redevelopment of the Crown Centre was instrumental in Tesco opening in Stourbridge, and in the past two years the store – and the town – has gone from strength to strength.

Wayne Barker, store manager, said: “We are so happy to be celebrating our second birthday. In the past two years I feel that we have worked very hard to establish ourselves in the town.

“We have had so many customers say to us how pleased they are of the way that Tesco improved the bottom end of the high street.

“Throughout the next two years – and hopefully beyond – we aim to do much of what we have been doing. We will continue with our community work, as well as improve and increase the services we currently provide.

“Stourbridge is a wonderful developing town and we want to be here for the long term.”

Councillor Khurshid Ahmed, Dudley Council’s cabinet member for planning and economic development, was also full of praise for Stourbridge, which has not seen the downturn other towns across the Midlands are suffering from.

He said: “Before Tesco opened there were a lot of negatives, but I think the facts speak for themselves.

“The town is now a lot more vibrant. Shops are not being empty for long, when they do close there is always someone wanting to move in.

“Stourbridge is always busy and continues to keep up its high footfall, especially on the weekends which is great to see.

“I am very pleased things are going well in Stourbridge as there is a range of different opportunities for both shoppers and traders.”

What do you think about the current state of Stourbridge town centre? Let us know either in the comments below, on our Facebook page, or email dan.sharp@stourbridgenews.co.uk