Retailer confirms it will close Timaru CBD store to move to new development

Bed Bath and Beyond has announced it will move from Timaru’s CBD to a new site at the Showgrounds Hill retail development and eventually close its store in the town centre.

Concerns about businesses moving out of Timaru’s CBD and into the soon to open Showgrounds retail centre were a key reason some residents opposed the centre when it was first proposed.

On Friday, Bed Bath and Beyond was the first retailer to confirm it would make that move, and join Countdown, Bunnings, Look Sharp, St Pierre’s Sushi, Lone Star and Black and White Coffee Cartel at the new development.

Timaru CBD Group chair Allan Booth it was disappointing to hear any business planned to move out of the CBD, but was not unexpected – with the group and other stakeholders raising concerns about the possible impacts on the town when the retail centre was proposed.

“As we had indicated before, this is what we thought was going to happen,” Booth said.

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“We will lose certain people and businesses to Showgrounds which will be detrimental for the CBD.

“The safeguards in the sale and purchase agreement for Showgrounds ensured only bigger businesses would go out there, and they assured us that was the case, but now I understand that perhaps isn’t the case.”

Booth previously raised concerns about any changes to the resource consents issued for the development as “effectively allowing the death by a thousand cuts” to the town’s CBD.

He said it is “imperative” they now get on with planned upgrades to the CBD to “stay relevant and competitive”.

“We need to now ensure we push on with the redevelopment of the CBD and keep on with it.”

Bed Bath and Beyond general manager Guy Hunt said the new store would open on March 10, with the central Timaru store on Sophia St to remain open for a few months during the transition.

“This will ensure our loyal customers in the area can still access the current store for any essentials they need running into the winter season.

“However, we encourage our Timaru, and beyond, customers to head to our new store where we will have our full range of products on show,” Hunt said.

Hunt said the new store would stock a wider range of products and was much bigger than the current store and would employ up to seven staff.

“The total store is going to be 1000 square metres, which will be more than double our current store, and we are excited to bring our Homestore Concept to the town of Timaru.”

The store will open a day after Countdown’s new Timaru North store is expected to open.

The store was supposed to open on March 2, but that had been delayed until March 9 to give the developer more time to complete road works into the site.

The supermarket is the first store expected to open at the 34,000sqm development, with developer Redwood Group recently given the green light by Timaru District Council to open the first stage of the complex before an access intersection is completed.

Previously, the land use consent conditions stated stage one of the development could not open until Redwood Group had completed construction of an intersection at Grants Rd and SH1/Evans St.

However, a request to change the conditions of the consent was rubber-stamped by the Timaru District Council in December – paving the way for the first stage of the retail complex to open before the access intersection has been completed.

The new condition states, although the permanent intersection still needs to be constructed, “in the event that some retail is operational prior to the completion of stage one, an interim intersection solution to allow for only stage one shall firstly be constructed by the consent holder…”

The latest changes to the consent came four months after the council approved other changes requested by the developer. The requests included the relocation of a planned food and beverage area and a request to change the height and width of signage.

Work on the intersection at the entrance to the development is ongoing, with traffic lights installed in the past week.

Redwood Group has been approached for comment.