'Enhancing consumer choice': B&M Bargains submit plans for garden centre expansion at Craigavon shopping centre
Retail giant plans £200,000 garden centre investment at Rushmere, while relocating to former vacant Homebase unit, creating new jobs and expanding its local offering
Budget retailer B&M Bargains could soon be putting down roots at Rushmere Shopping Centre in Craigavon after the firm submitted plans for a new outdoor garden centre.
It comes as the popular retailer plans to relocate from its current store next to Matalan into the adjacent larger former Homebase vacant unit, which closed earlier this year. The new garden centre will effectively replace the existing garden area in their current store.
The proposals, lodged with Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council, outline a 9,031 sq ft garden centre to be built on an existing hardstanding area beside units 4 & 5 in Rushmere Retail Park. The site, currently used informally for storage, will be enclosed within a 4.8-metre-high fence.
According to planning documents prepared by Gravis Planning, the project represents a £200,000 investment and would create approximately six new jobs, with a focus on local recruitment.
The move comes just days after B&M opened its new Home Store and Garden Centre in Antrim — the first of its kind in Northern Ireland — marking a major expansion for the brand in the region.
The supporting statement explained: “The proposed development is for the formation of a garden centre (Class A1) for use by B&M Retail Ltd. B&M are already located in the retail park but have recently agreed to relocate to the units 4&5. The proposal therefore is basically a replacement garden centre for the one that exists in their current unit.
“B&M Retail Ltd is an established, and still rapidly growing, national retailer, with a significant presence across the UK, and has continued to serve communities as an ‘essential retailer’ throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
“B&M are now regarded as an ‘anchor tenant’ for town centres and retail parks throughout the UK, providing quality goods at discount prices, and the proposed garden centre will add to the product range in a sustainable manner.
“Consistent with the company’s continuous focus on improving the quality of its retail offer, it has identified a need to provide an external garden centre as part of its plans to trade from Units 4 & 5.
“Suitable sites must have adequate space for heavy goods storage and racking, loading and unloading, in addition to being able to provide adequate power, water and waste services.
“Typically, areas of between 465 sqm and 929 sqm of existing hardstanding, with specific structural loading requirements/parameters and surface water drainage, are required. This area must be uncovered, and, crucially, have natural sunlight/daylight together with natural rainwater to sustain plants and shrubs which will be displayed.
“Because B&M Retail Ltd do not operate a delivery service, customers are required to take their goods at the point of payment, and this necessitates readily available and convenient access to surface-level car parking which is trolley accessible.”
The application will now be advertised shortly.