Screwfix is opening a store in an Exeter University accommodation

Screwfix is opening a store in an Exeter University accommodation.

This will be its third store in the city, and will be opened on Paris Street on the ground floor of Central Student Living – a student complex with 119 rooms.

The site was previously housed to the Honiton Inn, a pub that was the only pre-war building on Paris Street. This pub was the only building to survive the bombing of Exeter during WW2. The pub closed over a decade ago, and in 2017, plans were approved to demolish the building and replace it with student accommodation.

According to Devon Live, demolition began in July 2018, with construction of the student block completed in July 2020. Shortly afterward, property consultants Adler King began marketing the retail space for potential tenants shortly after. By January 2023, the unit remained vacant and a planning application was submitted to convert the unit into another flat.

A statement from Adler King mentioned the difficulties in securing a suitable tenant: “With consideration to the property, and location specific characteristics, in conjunction with the occupier interest we have received to date, and are likely to continue receiving, we do not consider it is likely we will be able to let the property on the lease required to make it economically viable for the developer.”

However, Exeter City Council rejected the proposal to turn the commercial space into a flat, citing concerns about the “detrimental impact on the vitality and viability of the city centre” and the poor living conditions for future occupiers due to “limited outlook as a result of obscure glazing or planting, and privacy issues”.

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This new branch forms part of the company’s “Screwfix City” concept, a smaller store format designed for urban areas. The retailer aims to open 20 of these city-focused stores by the end of 2024, with over 100 planned in the coming years. These compact stores offer around 3,000 products for click and collect, with an additional 31,000 items available for next-day collection via online orders.

Max Britten, Managing Director of Screwfix UK and ROI, expressed enthusiasm for the city stores, saying: “Our Screwfix stores are enabling us to go even further to meet the needs of our customers. We know how busy our customers are, and we understand the challenges they face in cities, such as getting a parking space on the job or having to down tools for an emergency product only to spend time stuck in traffic.”

“With our Screwfix City stores, we’ve been able to launch an exciting new format that works in different locations to our traditional stores. We’re planning to open up to 100 over the next few years in London and other cities, providing our customers with the ultimate convenience that keeps them on the job and earning.”

Feature image via Google Maps

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