Lidl plots Altrincham opening

The discount retailer is set to open on Altrincham Retail Park in a move that will see the park’s existing Homebase unit divided and extended.

The retail park’s owner, Orchard Street Investment Management, and Lidl have put forward proposals which will see Homebase’s existing unit split into two stores.

Under the plans, Homebase will continue to operate in 39,000 sq ft of the existing building, one of the largest at the retail park, while Lidl will move into the remaining space, extending part of the building to cover the existing garden centre. The store is set to total around 20,000 sq ft.

Homebase’s garden centre will be maintained but relocated to the other side of the existing store, and the move will see the DIY company’s store reduced in size by around 15,000 sq ft.

Lidl’s move into Altrincham Retail Park will provide competition with Aldi, which confirmed plans to relocate into a larger store on the park earlier this year. Its existing store will be then converted into an indoor trampolining centre.

Lidl opened its first store in Trafford in the last 12 months, converting a former PC World on Chester Road into a food store. Recent store openings nearby also include at Baguley, where it has opened a 24,000 sq ft store next to Tesco.

Rapleys is the planner for the project, while The Harris Partnership is the architect.

Homebase announced plans to axe 42 of its 241 outlets last year following a CVA.