Fashion store Next has applied to move to a new unit in Stevenage, more than double the size of its current store.
The retailer, currently in a 1,250 sq m unit at The Forum shopping centre, which is to make way for a life sciences development, has applied to Stevenage Borough Council to move to Units 11A and 11B at 9 Yards, the former Roaring Meg retail Park in London Road. The new unit totals 3,070 sq m.
The units Next plans to combine were previously occupied by Partyman and TruGym but have been vacant since 2022.
In its application Next states, via Montagu Evans, the move will keep the brand in the town.
It goes on: “The proposals will therefore secure the long-term occupation of the units and ensure this national multiple operator can continue to serve the residents of Stevenage and the wider area.
“It will also allow the jobs associated with their existing store to be retained in the local area, whilst also generating new jobs through a larger, optimised store.”
The application’s planning and retail statement says the scheme means the retention of all 41 jobs at the current store, which would otherwise be lost, and the creation of further jobs.
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