Major food store to open in Kirkby Town Centre

St. Modwen has secured an agreement with one of the UK’s leading supermarkets to open a major new food store in Kirkby town centre.

The UK’s leading regeneration specialist has agreed terms with the retailer and is currently finalising a legal agreement which will see the high-profile name become the anchor store for the town centre redevelopment.

It is anticipated that the legal agreement will be in place, and the identity of the retailer confirmed, later this summer.

St. Modwen is working with the supermarket chain to revise its recent planning application, updating the existing proposals to reflect the specific requirements of the retailer.

Paul Batho, Projects Director at St. Modwen, said: “This is great news for the people of Kirkby who have consistently told us that they want a new supermarket in the town.  It’s a major step forward towards our wider redevelopment plans for Kirkby town centre.

“We are working closely with the food operator to finalise the design of the new store which will result in a revised planning application being submitted to Knowsley Council.

“We are also experiencing significant interest from national retailers in coming to Kirkby and it is great news for shoppers in the town that this highly competitive process has resulted in a major supermarket coming on board.

“The scheme will meet the shopping needs of the people of Kirkby and the surrounding area.  It will boost the local economy, creating new jobs during and post construction, as well as bringing more shoppers and other local businesses to the town.”

A spokesperson for Knowsley Council said: “We are pleased to hear that excellent progress is being made in the highly-anticipated retail-led regeneration of Kirkby town centre.

“It is really good news that the supermarket operator is working closely with St. Modwen on the finer details of a revised planning application.  We look forward to seeing further progress being made as soon as possible because we know that our residents are very keen to be told just which supermarket is going to be coming to Kirkby.”