A DISTRIBUTION centre that burned to the ground in a devastating fire has been rebuilt in under two years.

And the Advertiser can confirm Ocado will be reopening its hightech centre this year - creating new jobs for the local economy.

In what is being billed as an ‘exciting’ year for the high-end online grocery store, it is expected that more than 150 former employees could be set to rejoin the business with a number of new positions set to be announced next week.

The welcomed news comes as it was revealed this week that five per cent of working-age adults across the UK are now unemployed. Figures suggest 200,000 people lost their jobs since November.

Human resources director at Ocado, Kim Lund, said the brand is preparing to reopen its centre in the Spring.

She said the rebuild was “significant” due to the timescale in which it was achieved.

As previously reported in the Advertiser, it took more than 300 firefighters to tackle the inferno which completely gutted the site at Walworth Business Park on Tuesday, February 5, 2019.

The online delivery site said the fire cost them £110million while fighting the blaze cost Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service £132,000.

Also in this week’s paper:

- Van driver dies after A303 crash

- Man donates over 100 tablets to schools to help lockdown learning

- Council dispute over conflicting high street plans

- Town council votes to keep precept the same

- Andover pharmacist discusses life on the vaccine front line

- Andover in the snow

- Inquest adjourned into death of man near Stockbridge

- Grants announced for local football

- Two pages of YOUR letters

- And much, much more

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