B&M garden center and store planned on former Toys R Us site

Discount chain B&M says it will bring 51 jobs to the area when it takes over the large Unit 1 at Teesside Shopping Park, a building that has been vacant since 2018. Now she hopes to connect a garden center to the branch.

B&M Retail Ltd have applied for planning permission to build a gated garden center outside the building and forecast sales of £550,000 in 2026.

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A planning statement read: “The application relates to the provision of an outside garden center to coincide with the proposed occupation of the former Toys R Us store by B&M Retail Ltd. will be connected.”

“The primary nature of the permitted retail use would not change as the garden center sells bulky comparable merchandise which is a complementary complement to merchandise sold in the proposed B&M store,” adds MWA Planning’s statement.

“Planning permission is granted for the construction of a 4.8 meter high enclosure to form an external garden center annex in connection with B&M Retail Ltd’s proposed occupation of the former Toys R Us unit at Teesside Shopping Park. applied for.”

“The proposal is expected to require a capital outlay of around £200,000,” reads the statement accompanying the proposals.

“The company wants to ensure long-term, profitable use of the former Toys R Us unit and the provision of a complementary garden center is part of its business model and operational needs.

“The 929 m² garden center will occupy part of the parking area next to the planned B&M store. The garden center will be surrounded by a 4.8 m high fence.

“As a result of the measure, 30 parking spaces will be lost. However, the unit will still have 369 seats, including a number of rooms for the disabled.

“The garden centers consist of open-air spaces that display a range of plants, shrubs and small trees, as well as store a range of bulky items such as garden sheds, water butts, garden tools, fertiliser, soil and bark chips. Other items include fence panels, pots, decking, gravel, wheelbarrows and planters.”

According to B&M, the garden center would increase the goods sold in the store and create six additional jobs: “These would be in addition to the 45 jobs that would have been created by the applicant occupying the store.”

In a planning statement, the company describes itself as “an established and still fast-growing national retailer with a significant presence across the UK” and as an “anchor tenant for city centers and retail parks”. The company is looking for outside garden centers in locations with ample space for heavy-duty storage, shelving, loading and unloading, and power, water and waste services.

Customers have to take their goods with them when paying because B&M does not deliver. “This requires easy and convenient access to above-ground parking, accessible by trolley,” the statement said.

Stockton Council is considering the enclosure proposal.

A motion submitted to local council in February and approved in April set out a plan to “facilitate the reoccupation of the vacant unit by a new tenant.”

British Land, one of the UK’s largest property and investment firms, said it wanted to “improve significantly” the visual appearance of the “tired and outdated” unit. Minor work on the 380-space car park at the site was also proposed.