Sainsbury’s has entered the planning process as part of its bid to transform a Homebase store in Derry into its latest supermarket in the city.
The grocer has submitted a proposal of application notice (PAN) to Derry City and Strabane District Council, seeking permission to repurpose the retail warehouse as a food store.
Sainsbury’s completed the acquisition of 11 Homebase stores in September, including sites in Omagh and Crescent Link in Derry’s Waterside.
The grocer originally planned to start opening the new supermarkets from next summer.
However, the collapse of Homebase into administration last month could accelerate the process.
The CDS retail group has bought 70 Homebase stores out of administration, which are expected to be rebranded as The Range.
But it’s understood just two stores in Northern Ireland will be included in that arrangement: Cookstown and Bangor.
The Range, which currently has nine stores in the north, does not have a presence in either Bangor or Cookstown.
A list of 74 Homebase stores that are reportedly up for sale across the UK and Ireland features four stores in Northern Ireland.
Alongside Homebase stores in Craigavon and Antrim, the list includes both Belfast sites at Shane Retail Park on the Boucher Road and the Drumkeen Complex in Galwally.
A number of major retailers are understood to be considering acquiring some of the remaining sites.
Meanwhile, Homebase has launched closing down sales in its Omagh and Derry sites in recent days.
The application lodged with Derry City and Strabane District Council by Sainsbury’s in recent days seeks permission reuse the Homebase unit at Crescent Link as a food store.
A variation of the previous planning permission is required to allow the sale of convenience and non-bulky goods.
According to the PAN, Sainsbury’s is also seeking improvements to circulation within the car park to improve access to the northern end of the retail park.
The grocer is also seeking permission remove the garden centre canopy and replace it with more parking space.
The application confirms that Sainsbury’s is planning to accommodate Argos van loading bays at the new Crescent Link site.
The catalogue shop chain was acquired by Sainsbury’s in 2016.
In recent years, the retail group has introduced ‘click-and-collect’ Argos services within its supermarkets.
In some cases, it has resulted in standalone Argos units closing in nearby locations.
Sainsbury’s introduced click-and-collect at its existing Derry store on the Strand Road last year.
In a statement to the Derry Journal, the retailer said it has no plans to close or relocate its Strand Road store.
However, Sainsbury’s debut in Omagh has raised questions over the future of its standalone Argos unit at the Showgrounds Retail Park.
