Sainsburys is planning to spend more than £100m on property investments in Greater Manchester in the coming year, it emerged today.
Work has started on a store in Bolton town centre on the site of the former Hick Hargeaves Engineering Works.
The store will replace a smaller town-centre Sainsburys on Moor Street.
In Oldham, Sainsburys is seeking planning permission for a new town centre store in Union Street. Again, this will replace a town centre outlet, on Bloom Street.
Further details of how the £100m investment breaks down between different stores was not available.
Chris Fenner, Sainsburys property delivery director, said: “As well as our plans to invest a further £100m over the coming year, we are still actively seeking sites for new supermarkets, in all of our format sizes, from larger stores, to our smaller Sainsburys Central and Local.
“We recently opened two Locals in the city centre at Manchester Piccadilly Station and Whitworth Street that are proving extremely successful.
“We believe that a city the size of Manchester could see at least 10 Sainsburys Locals opening over the next year or two.”
Subject to planning consent, Sainsburys proposes to redevelop under-utilised space at its Fallowfield store.
The scheme comprises a 10,000 sq ft (929 sq m) medical centre and 36 one and two-bed flats, on an area at the rear of the store car park.
In the past year, the 260,000 sq ft (24,154 sq m) distribution centre in Haydock has more than doubled in size to 540,000 sq ft (50,166 sq m).
The depot employs 1,000 people.
EGi News 04/11/02
