Mystery over new Aldi store planned in Cov
ALVIS RETAIL PARK SUPERMARKET WAS DUE TO OPEN IN NOVEMBER
MYSTERY surrounds the opening of Aldi’s sixth Coventry store, which was due to open at the Alvis Retail Park in November this year.
In May the Telegraph revealed the budget supermarket chain’s plans to add to its portfolio in the city.
The proposed Alvis Retail Park store was listed on the Aldi website - on a page entitled ‘Coming soon to a town near you! New stores and fresh career opportunities’.
It said the new store was scheduled to open in November this year.
However the Alvis Retail Park store is no longer listed among forthcoming store openings and no work has yet begun at the site.
Plans were submitted to Coventry City Council to create a new store in an existing unit on the Alvis Retail Park on Holyhead Road.
The plans related to the unit formerly occupied by Currys PC World, at the south eastern end of the retail park closest to the city centre.
The neighbouring unit occupied by DFS would also be reduced in size to accommodate the new budget supermarket.
A transport statement regarding the new store was submitted to Coventry City Council by Connect Consultants.
In November 2018 Currys PC World featuring Carphone Warehouse moved its Coventry operation from the Alvis Retail Park to a bigger home.
The retail outlet made a move across the city to the Arena Park shopping centre.
The Alvis Retail Park is home to B&Q, Harveys, Carpet Right, Sofology, DFS, a drive-thru Mcdonald’s, a Morrisons petrol filling station and a Morrisons supermarket.
Planning documents submitted said the new Aldi store would have a total ground floor area of 1,847 sq m and a mezzanine measuring 120 sq m.
New Coventry Aldi plans in detailPlanning documents submitted to the city council by Connect Consultants of behalf of Aldi, said: “Unit 6, the unit to be developed, is located towards the south eastern corner of Alvis Retail Park.
“Unit 7, the adjacent unit that will be partly amalgamated with Unit 6, is currently occupied by DFS.
“The proposals include the development of an Aldi foodstore with site composition including the following:
“The replacement of Unit 6 - Curry’s PC World (1,450 sq m) with an Aldi foodstore of 1,967 sq m gross internal floor area (GIA).
“The Aldi would include 1,847 sq m at ground floor level and a 120 sq m mezzanine.
“Unit 7-DFS will be reduced in size from 1,850 sq m to 1,449 sq m (-401 sq m) to accommodate the Aldi proposals.
“The total GIA across the two units will increase by 116sqm.”
The transport statement submitted to the city council also gave details of how deliveries and collections to and from the site by HGVS and other vehicles would operate.
It pointed out that vehicles would service the unit from the rear of the buildings, via a service road which connects with Four Pounds Avenue to the west of the site at a crossroads with Sussex Road.
It added: “An Aldi store typically receives an average of four HGV deliveries per day.
“Three articulated HGV deliveries per day come from the Regional Distribution Centre (RDC) and there is one delivery per day of milk by a local supplier, usually using a medium sized goods vehicle.
“Daily deliveries of milk, bread and morning fresh produce are received prior to, or as early as possible after, the store opening in the morning, and are delivered by one Aldi HGV and one milk delivery vehicle.
“In addition to goods deliveries, each store has 1-2 collections of general waste and animal by-products per week.
“Newspapers are delivered daily to the store, and a dedicated locker is provided within the service bay area for newspapers to be securely delivered.
“Aldi stores have a cardboard bailer within the warehouse, and all cardboard packaging is bailed. Together with any plastics as required for recycling, this is then back loaded to the RDC with each Aldi HGV.”
Aldi has been contacted for comment on its plans regarding the opening of the Alvis Retail Park store.