A RETAIL unit to close after its tenant entered administration may not be empty for too long.
As reported this week, Carpetright is to shut its two Warrington stores at Pinners Brow Retail Park and Junction Nine Retail Park.
The business has been bought in a rescue deal by rival Tapi, but will still shut more than 200 stores and cut more than 1,000 jobs.
However, the Pinners Brow unit may soon be brought back into use, with the space currently the subject of a planning application.
In June last year, discount supermarket chain Lidl submitted plans to open a new store on the retail park.
Currently, the site consists of four separate units occupied by Wickes DIY and trade store, which will remain, as well as Sofology, The Jungle children's soft play and Carpet Right.
Lidl has acquired unit four currently occupied by Carpet Right, unit three occupied by The Jungle and a portion of unit two occupied by Sofology Warrington.
It is proposed to reconfigure and extend units two, three and four in order to deliver a Lidl store within units two and three, with The Jungle relocating into the smaller unit two.
As part of the development, certain areas of the existing car park will be modernised to improve parking arrangements and traffic flow around the site.
Despite being submitted more than a year ago, the plans are yet to be decided upon.
Founded in Germany in the 1930s, Lidl began trading in the UK in 1994, and it now operates more than 900 stores nationwide.
The Lidl store would be open between 7am and 10pm from Monday to Saturday, including bank holidays, and between 10am and 6pm on Sundays.
It would require up to 30 members of staff, with both part-time and full-time roles offered, with the national chain not offering zero-hour contracts.
Planning documents state: “It is expected that the majority, if not all members of staff, will be local people living in the local area.”
Staff at the existing Sofology and Carpet Right stores will be given the opportunity to apply for a job at the new Lidl store, they add.
Plans state that Lidl looked at six units in Golden Square, as well as units on Cockhedge and Riverside retail parks, but none were deemed big enough or suitable for other reasons.
Documents submitted as part of the application state: “Lidl is dedicated to investing in Warrington, and if the proposed development is granted consent, it will be promptly constructed.
“This new addition to Warrington's retail offering will serve the needs of the local community, catering to the specific catchment area in the vicinity.”
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