Aldi on the march in Warrington and Manchester

Named this week as the UK’s fourth largest supermarket group, the grocer is tipped for approval at a former Arnold Clark site and at the Imperial Lounge plot in Moston.

Manchester City Council’s planning committee will consider on Thursday 22 September whether to approve the German group’s plans for Victoria Avenue East, New Moston, a site just inside the M60, close to Blackley Golf Club outside the ring road.

Plans for the 2.1-acre site, which borders pitches for North Manchester Rugby Club on one side and an apartment block on the other, include the demolition of the existing Indian restaurant on site.

Aldi is working with regular partners The Harris Partnership and planner Avison Young on the plans.

In line with Aldi’s template, the proposed building is around 21,000 sq ft in total, with a sales area of 14,321 sq ft and a total of 119 parking spaces including various sub-categories.

The plans include a new vehicular access for the adjacent sports facilities of the rugby club and archery club Assheton Bowmen. The rugby club has sent a letter of support for the scheme.

Avison Young said that the project value would be around £5m, with the grocer confident of delivery within 18 months.

Advisors on the project also include Cameron Rose Associates, Integra Consulting, BWB, Watt Energy, Collington Winter and Earth Environmental.

In Warrington – as with a recently filed application in Wigan – Aldi wants to build a store on a former Arnold Clark vehicle sales site, specifically at Europa Boulevard.

The site sits behind Ikea, as viewed from the M62, between Porcelanosa and Arnold Clark’s current site within the Gemini Retail Park – the motor trader moved into the former Toys R Us building in 2021.

As outlined in The Harris Partnership’s design & access statement, parking for the supermarket will extend to 125 spaces inclusive of sub-categories. The store’s sales area will be 14,332 sq ft.

An Aldi spokesperson said: “Our Fordton Retail Park store is accommodating more and more customers and Aldi shoppers are experiencing longer waiting times and a busy store. With changing customer habits and expectations, we believe that there is an opportunity to improve choice and transform the shopping experience for the local community by bringing a new store to Gemini Retail Park. The proposals would bring back into use a vacant brownfield site and create up to 40 full-time equivalent jobs.”

On this project, Aldi has engaged JLL. The professional team also includes transport advisor Cameron Rose Associates, WaterCo, SWF Consulting, ACS Consulting, CES Ecology, Earth Environmental and Spectrum Acoustics.

Warrington’s planning committee meets on Wednesday 21 September. According to the planning officer’s report, Warrington’s independent retail advisor, Nexus Planning, has concluded that neither Aldi’s plan here nor Lidl’s proposal at Omega South would likely preclude development in either area.

Research firm Kantar said this week that Aldi has overtaken Morrisons to become the UK’s fourth largest supermarket group, with year-on-year sales for the three months to 4 September up by a fifth, giving it a market share of 9.3%.

Both proposals are recommended for approval. The Manchester plan’s reference number is 133148/FO/2022 while the Europa Boulevard plan can be found on Warrington’s planning portal at 2022/41357.