B&M will open its new Southport store on Wednesday, 16th August 2023.
It is one of nine new branches being opened by the national discount chain across the UK in the coming months.
The new 23,309 sq ft B&M store will include a new external garden centre area to the rear of the store, to allow a broader range of goods to be sold.
The firm will join together two vacant units, previously occupied by Outfit and Sports Direct in Units 1 and 2, creating an estimated 30 jobs.
It will be situated between the existing Asda supermarket and Boots.
A planning condition imposed by Sefton Council insists on the continued trading of B&M from its existing store at 95 Lord Street to the expiry of its current lease in December 2025.
The B&M Bargains store on Lord Street in Southport
As well as brand new B&M stores, some branches will be relocating to bigger premises and relaunching.
New stores opening include:
Irvine, Scotland – August 12th
Southport – August 16th
Eastbourne – September 14th
Stockton – September 14th
Newbury – October 7th
Relaunches and when they’re opening
Reading – August 28th
Glasgow – August 26th
Switch Island, Liverpool – September 9th
Gateshead – October 28th
B&M is not the only retailer with new openings planned nationally.
Poundland will be opening 15 new stores in the coming weeks, as the retailer plans to expand across the country and TK Maxx is also eyeing up an expansion.
B&M is set to be the first national brand to join Central 12 just weeks after the retail park was bought by LCP, part of M Core, in a deal believed to be worth £27 million.
Anchored by an ASDA superstore, the centre on Derby Road comprises 162,143 sq ft of open convenience retail, with retailers including The Range, Poundland, Iceland, Boots and Next.
The 13-unit shopping park, close to Southport Railway Station, also has a car park for 636 vehicles.
Yesterday, Stand Up For Southport revealed how a vacant shop at Central 12 could soon become a new 24-hour restaurant / hot food takeaway as part of a new resurgence at the busy retail park.
Unit 11 at the site, next door to Costa Coffee and Mountain Warehouse, has been vacant since the Royal Doulton china shop closed in the early 2000s.
Read More: New restaurant and takeaway proposed for Central 12 in Southport to replace empty shop
James Buchanan, Group Managing Director at LCP, said: “We have invested more than £115 million in retail assets this year, demonstrating our determination and commitment to investing in the UK retail sector. Acquisitions such as this form an important part of our programme of investment as we seek to consolidate our portfolio and add value to it.”
Owners of Central 12 believe a hospitality business should be allowed to operate there due to “a lack of interest from retailers over the last two decades, we see no other realistic way of leasing the premises”.
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