Transformation of former Co-op well under way
WORK on transforming a dilapidated former supermarket into Coalville’s new Home Bargains store is progressing.
The project has seen much of the former building removed ahead of the redevelopment.
The former Co-Operative, in Bridge Road, had been empty since 2020 after closing following what bosses said had been a “decline in sales and footfall”.
Half of the building was occupied by Iceland before it left and moved into the Belvoir Shopping Centre late last year.
Home Bargains is currently located in the shopping centre, but announced plans to make Bridge Road its new space last year.
Planning officials said the proposal would “bring life back” to the area which had become subject to antisocial behaviour after the Co-Op’s closure.
Work on the transformation is now under way. The entire shell of the former Co-Op has been removed ahead of the new exterior being put in place.
The steel frame structure of the former store is all that is left at the moment as contractors begin the process of reducing the size of the store, while also adding in a garden centre.
The transformation will come with a new “customer entrance feature” and “trolley corral”.
TJ Morris, which owns Home Bargains, said its efforts will “modernise the otherwise dilapidated unit” and provide an “improved shopping experience” for customers.
The car park will also be redeveloped as part of the move.
TJ Morris said the current layout will be revised to create 12 additional spaces, including six parent and child parking bays and one additional disabled parking space.
It will mean a total of 121 spaces in the car park.
Home Bargains said the redevelopment of the “prominent” unit will further its “pressing need” to strengthen shopping provision within Coalville.
It is widely expected that Home Bargains’ current store in the Belvoir Shopping Centre - the biggest in the centre - will be vacated as it moves to Bridge Road.
However, this has not been confirmed and a timeframe on the Bridge Road redevelopment’s completion has not been disclosed.