A new Spar store has opened within the walls of the former Fulwood police station in Preston, marking a new chapter for the historic red brick building.
Spar Sharoe Green, in Watling Street Road, opened its doors this week to a queue of customers keen to see the transformation and the exciting new convenience store on their doorstep.
Located in the Fulwood Conservation Area, the new store “mixes modern retail need with local heritage preservation” and its opening by James Hall & Co. Ltd has given the building a new lease of life while also creating 19 new jobs for locals.
During the redevelopment, key architectural features from 1869 were retained and restored to look as good as new, including all windows, stone sills and headers, along with the building’s three distinctive chimneys.
A large area of the store has been dedicated to Worldwide Foodstores products, including frozen lines, which sit next to a strong section of other frozen foods under the Iceland brand.
It also features a doorless air chilled beer, cider and wine room, with spirits available behind the counter.
The Mayor of Preston, Cllr Sue Whittam, was on hand to open the store alongside Preston North End Community and Education Trust’s mascot, Deepdale Duck, as the charity has partnered with Spar Sharoe Green.
Ahead of the launch, the store ran a competition with nearby Kennington Primary School children to design a tote bag which is on sale in the store. Fifty bags were handed out to the first customers through the door with a range of products inside.
Externally there is a customer parking, an EV charge point, an ATM and a defibrillator - which has been installed to the delight of the Preston Community First Responders and North West Ambulance Service.
Lisa Allen, a local Community First Responder, attended the launch, and said: “It’s brilliant the people at James Hall agreed with me in recognising the importance of improving access to lifesaving equipment.
“It was the perfect opportunity for the Spar, as a new community asset, to have a Community Public Access Defibrillator installed from day one, so I’m very pleased to see that’s happened, and it’s a great new store.
Fiona Drummond, company stores director at James Hall & Co. Ltd, added: “Spar stores are at the heart of the communities they serve, and we’ve taken care to sensitively preserve the heritage of Fulwood’s old police station for the community with our exceptional new store.
“I was delighted to hear customer feedback on the day covering our preservation work, as well as the range, value, and promotions in store. It’s a pleasure to breathe new life into this cherished red brick building more than 150 years after it was originally built.”
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