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The site of a former Waitrose store in Shrewsbury will be converted into a showroom for Greenhous Group.
The car dealer chain has petitioned Shropshire City Council to replace the use of the vacant space at 27b Pride Hill from a retail store to a car showroom, and replace the display windows and doors, as well as a façade panel with interior lighting and an overhang. sign.
This would create one full-time task and two part-time tasks.
The preparation document submitted to the municipality stated that “the cars promoted would be electric only”, while the application indicated that the showroom would be open from 8:00 a. m. to 6:00 p. m. from Monday to Saturday and from 10:00 a. m. to 4:00 pm on Sundays.
However, Danny Minshall, regional retail director at Greenhous, told Car Dealer: “The site won’t just focus on electric vehicles.
“We said that we would organize school and awareness days on electrification from the workshop so that local consumers perceive the ownership/use of these types of vehicles. “
He added that opening hours were subject to a final resolution and that it is unlikely to be open on a Sunday.
The ground floor would be the showroom, with an area of approximately 87 meters, with the remaining 60 meters reserved for offices as well as “wellness facilities”.
Meanwhile, the basement of about 320 meters would be used for storage.
According to the release of the plans, testing will be conducted from there and consumers will be referred to nearby dealerships in Featherbed Lane or Telford.
Also, nothing will be sold physically. Instead, the showroom “will offer a professional and pressure-free experience for visitors and make life easier for local consumers through bookings such as test drives, car tours, maintenance and annual upkeep. “
They will also be able to electronically book roadworthiness, winter inspections, summer inspections and valet parking, as well as communicate with experts about Greenhous’ service plans and products, and get recommendations on electrification and evaluations of their existing vehicles.
“In short, the unit will be a destination to advertise Greenhous in the region and a useful marketing tool for the rest of your business,” he says.
A total of 34 people threatened to lose their jobs when the Little Waitrose branch closed in December 2020 after the owner, John Lewis Partnership, said he had been unable to make it “profitable in the long term” due to “difficult trade”.
This is one of four closures announced at the same time, and branches in Caldicot, Wolverhampton and Ipswich were also affected.
The site was put up for sale through Halls with bids on the order of £295,000 to buy it or £27,500 per year to rent it out.
A resolution will be made through the planners in due course.
Image via Google Street View from July 2018, when the Little Waitrose assets
This article was originally published at 11:38 a. m. June 3 and was modified at 3:34 p. m. the same day after data obtained from Greenhous Group
John has been with Car Dealer since 2013 after spending 25 years at the newspaper as a journalist and then deputy editor/deputy editor of regional and national titles. John is the Deputy Editor in the Editorial Department, works at Car Dealer and manages social media.
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