Convenience store chain eyes first city centre site
CONVENIENCE store chain One Stop wants to open a branch in the £6.5m Cargo 2 apartment block in Millbay in Plymouth.
The Midlands-based company has submitted a licensing application to Plymouth City Council asking for permission to open from Monday to Sunday from 6am to 11pm and sell alcohol from the premises.
The company already has four outlets in Plymouth, but if permission is secured, the Millbay store will be its first in the city centre.
Plans submitted with the application reveal the company wants to create a 2,273sq ft sales area in the unit under the flats.
There would be freezers for chilled food, and machines dispensing coffees and Slush Puppies. The store will also sell pet food, magazines, babycare products and household and laundry goods, as well as wines, beers and lagers. It will also have an ATM machine.
The plans also show a 1,459sq ft rear stockroom, with a manager’s office and staff kitchen.
One Stop’s website says it has more than 900 shops and “a key focus on being the best store for customers in the neighbourhood”. It said it has been recognised by the Retail Industry Awards, winning Convenience Retailer of the Year and Multiple Community Retailer of the Year 2022. The company has about 10,000 staff and has been growing nationally.
The company’s website said: “As part of our expansion programme we are interested in potential shop sites or outlets we could work with. At One Stop we’re always looking for quality stores to expand our portfolio.
“We have a team of experts skilled in commercial property transactions, ready to work with you: whether you’re selling an existing business, a developer looking to add a quality retail brand to your commercial site or a commercial agent.
“One Stop stores have been serving local communities throughout the UK for almost 50 years. During that time we’ve built a reputation for operating quality convenience stores that add real value to their neighbourhood and become a focal point for the community. We’re lean and agile and we guarantee quick decisions.
One Stop Stores Ltd’s most recent accounts, for the year to February 2022, reveal it weathered the Covid pandemic without receiving any government funding, did not defer VAT payments and didn’t furlough staff. It also repaid its business rates relief which the Government granted to retail and hospitality businesses.
Its two-year like-for-like sales growth of 8.9% outperformed the market. In addition to its usual bonus scheme it also paid a one-off bonus to staff in May 2022.
Cargo 2 was built at a cost of £6.5m between 2010 and 2014. It was built as part of the major regeneration project of Plymouth’s waterfront.
The five-storey Cargo 2 features a mix of high-quality houses, apartments and ground floor commercial space opposite the larger Cargo apartment block, built between 2004 and 2008 at a cost of £16m.