Upmarket food chain Waitrose has agreed to take over a rival store and is promising a complete revamp.

The Safeway store in Worthing could be transformed into Waitrose in time for the Christmas rush.

The store in High Street is one of 19 in England which Waitrose has agreed to buy.

Business leaders hope the takeover will breathe fresh life into Worthing's shopping scene.

It follows the takeover of Safeway by the Morrisons chain, subject to approval from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).

Waitrose, the food arm of the John Lewis Partnership, has agreed to buy the 19 stores from Morrisons.

Customers who want to carry on using Safeway will have to go to a smaller store in Durrington instead.

The store will stay open as usual until the sale is agreed by the OFT but its new owners want to get the changeover completed as quickly as possible.

Mark Price, director of selling and marketing at Waitrose, said: "We are delighted to bring Waitrose to Worthing, giving shoppers better choice than before.

"We pride ourselves on close relationships with communities, contributing to initiatives and education projects.

"We look forward to opening in Worthing and meeting all our new customers."

Worthing town centre manager Sharon Clarke said: "I was a little bit concerned when Morrisons took over Safeway because if the High Street store had been turned into Morrisons, it would have created competition for the Lidl and Co-op stores nearby.

"Waitrose tends to cater for a different type of market so there should not be any problems.

"This is good news for the town centre."

Waitrose sells a variety of fresh food and wine and has patisserie, meat and fish counters in its stores.

Once the deal is approved, staff who worked for Safeway will be offered posts at Waitrose.

Waitrose already has Sussex branches in Brighton, Burgess Hill, Chichester, Hailsham and Horsham.

Friday March 26, 2004