INDEPENDENT RETAILERS in the North have launched a campaign to fight “unrestricted, unsustainable” out-of-town supermarket developments which they claim are threatening livelihoods.
More than 1,000 independent retailers are backing the campaign to save town centres, which is being led by the Northern Ireland Independent Retail Trade Association (NIIRTA). The move comes as Asda has been granted planning permission for a controversial £25 million (€27 million) store at a retail park near Antrim.
Asda claims the development will create at least 400 jobs, but NIIRTA argues the new store will result in the net loss of 270 jobs from local retailers and suppliers.
The North’s Minister for the Environment Sammy Wilson said he had weighed up all the arguments made to the Planning Service before making a decision in favour of Asda. The Minister added: “I believe the new store is unlikely to have adverse impact on the town centre’s viability.”
Glyn Roberts, chief executive of the NIIRTA, said the development could result in Antrim being a “retail ghost town”.
The NIIRTA is hoping to block Tesco’s largest store on the island, close to Banbridge. Tesco wants to build a 130,000sq ft store at a new retail park. It has been refused planning permission, but developers behind the scheme plan to appeal the decision.
