Lidl rules out move to closed John Lewis at Newbury Parkway Shopping store
Supermarket also opening at Newbury Retail Park next month
LIDL has ruled out moving into the vacant John Lewis store in Parkway Shopping saying it is not “a viable or suitable alternative” to a new store it wants to build.
The German supermarket wants to move into a new store on the site of the vacant Narrow Boat pub on the A4.
When the plans were submitted in July a retail assessment said that other sites in Newbury and Thatcham had been considered but ruled out, mostly because the available units were too small.
Since then, John Lewis announced that its store in Parkway would not be reopening because of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on its trade.
The former John Lewis at Home extends to 5,086 sq m of floorspace provided over three floors. Lidl has said it wants a single-storey building with sufficient car parking.
An assessment of the Parkway unit said that while the 1,559 sq m on the ground floor was comparable to the new store proposed at London Road, around 60 per cent of the existing floorspace would not be used by Lidl.
“This residual floorspace has implications on the commercial viability of this unit for Lidl or a similar retailer by taking on a substantially oversized store,” the assessment says.
“Indeed, alternative uses are likely to be needed to be secured (or at least not prejudiced by Lidl occupying the ground floor only) for the residual floorspace. This will have implications on delivery and therefore availability.”
A lack of appropriate parking has also ruled out a move to Parkway.
The assessment states: “The parking that is available is over multiple levels, is chargeable and is shared with neighbouring retailers within the Parkway Shopping centre and other visitors to the town centre.
"As such Lidl, or any other food retailer trading from this location, would not be able to guarantee car parking for their customers that is easily accessible for shoppers with trolleys.”
In contrast, it says the proposed London Road store will provide 108 dedicated parking bays.
The application has been amended to include moving the store further north to increase the distance from the River Kennet. The former pub garden will also be renovated and be available for community use.
Lidl is also opening a new store in part of the former Homebase store at Newbury Retail Park on October 8.
The retail assessment for the new Lidl on London Road looked at retail space at the Market Street development, the Greenham Road Retail Park near the Burger King roundabout and units in Thatcham Broadway and High Street.
The former TK Maxx and Debenhams unit in the Kennet Shopping centre was also considered.
The application for the new store has been submitted by London Road Limited. The plans include demolishing The Narrow Boat pub and the Bargain Buys store at the London Road Retail Park off the A4 to accommodate the new store.
Lidl said it was leaving its current store on London Road because it is compromised in terms of its operational constraints.
The application says that 40 jobs will be secured through the new store.
To view and comment on the scheme, enter 20/01498/COMIND into West Berkshire Council’s planning website.
