Another two businesses announce opening dates at Leighton Buzzard's new retail park

Subway has been the sole presence on the site since it launched in early December, but on Friday (January 11) it will be joined by Pets at Home.

B&M has confirmed it is on track for a February 6 opening, which leaves M&S Foodhall, KFC, Topps Tiles and Costa Coffee still to reveal their target launch dates.

Retail park developer Claymore Phoenix told the LBO today (Friday) that M&S had just started fitting out its store but it hadn’t been informed by M&S of an opening date at present.

As the LBO reported in October, the final store could be Aldi, rather than Wickes.

The discount supermarket wants to take over Wickes’ position as an anchor tenant, subject to planning permission being secured, with Wickes having agreed to step aside.

The retail park originally gained planning permission in November 2013, with a condition that the presence of “convenience food retail” in the warehouses was forbidden. However, last year, with M&S keen to put a Foodhall on the site, Central Beds Council agreed to amend the Section 106 agreement to allow its presence.

Claymore Phoenix is now seeking permission for a similar concession for Aldi and CBC will make its decision shortly.