Used car retailer, CarShop, has chosen to make a multi-million-pound investment in Derby as the location of its latest store.
Should planning permission be granted, the over 27,000 sq ft site, which sits off Osmaston Road, would feature a forecourt holding over 600 of the retailer’s range of makes and models, a large store with a customer area, an indoor showroom, and a drive-in service centre. It will also have a canopy for validation and handover, that can hold another 26 cars.
The site previously held a Showcase cinema and Pizza Hut restaurant, which was forced to close last year due to the pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic and has sat empty since.
Nigel Hurley, CarShop’s CEO, said: “We know that the Showcase cinema held a special place in lots of local residents’ hearts – it’s where a lot of memories were made – which is why we tried our very hardest to work with the existing building structure and keep some of its traditional features.
“However, our architectural provider said it just wasn’t possible due to the layout of the cinema and restaurant, and the layout of the potential store, being just too different.
“What we promise to do instead, in opening CarShop Derby, is boost the local economy through new investment in the area, revive the site so that it continues to provide a useful purpose for Derbyshire residents, and use its presence to help further the missions of local initiatives and charities doing great work, day in, day out.”
The opening of the store would create 50 jobs for people in the local community, with roles ranging from mechanics and MOT technicians, to customer service advisors and weekend sales colleagues.