New eatery at Bolton c-store in bid to combat competition from big business

A new eatery could open in a convenience store in a bid to combat competition from a big business which has been blamed for a fall in sales.

The Nisa Local convenience store in St Helens Road is set to be redeveloped to create a new unit inside which would be used as a restaurant or takeaway.

An application to turn two-thirds of the retail space into a separate eatery has been approved by Bolton Council.

The post office, butchers and Asian fresh produce department will remain but stocks will be smaller, according to the application.

It said: “Due to the emergence of national retail operators nearby and diminishing sales of printed publications and tobacco the business is struggling commercially.

“In recent years, a post office, butchers and specialist Asian grocery facilities have been added to widen the range of sales and to fill in the gaps left in the shelves as sales of fresh and long date convenience sales have been lost to the nearby ASDA store.

“There is currently a significant amount of shelved produced mainly of the tinned and pre-packaged type foods and cleaning products which do not sell to justify retaining them as an offer at the store.

“This will result in a large amount of empty shelving which reflects poorly on the customer experience.

“The saving in sales area will be achieved by stocking smaller quantities of each product and by removing those products from the sales offer which are not being purchased by customers.

“These changes will hopefully ensure the long-term viability of the store.”

Alterations will be made to the shop front including the removal of an existing window within the front elevation replaced by a door and smaller window.

An extractor flue will be installed at the back of the building.

The agreed opening hours for the new eatery are 9am to 11.30pm from Sunday to Thursday and 9am to midnight on Friday and Saturday.

A decision notice granting planning permission was issued by Bolton Council on May 14.

It states that the premises cannot open for trade outside of the agreed hours.