Tesco’s plans for its first department store are to be turned down in favour of a scheme fronted by rival Waitrose.
The cabinet of Hammersmith and Fulham council in west London will meet on Monday evening to decide which of the three developers will be given the green light for the£110 million development of King Street – one of Hammersmith’s main shopping areas – according to the Daily Telegraph.
One proposal includes Tesco’s first department store, a new concept selling food, clothing, electricals, sports goods and DVDs on two floors. The store would also contain a food hall offering groceries from around the world, according to a submission by St James Investments, which would develop the site on Tesco’s behalf.
However, the documents seen by the Daily Telegraph reveal that an initial evaluation of the proposals by council officers favours a rival scheme anchored by Waitrose. That scheme, headed by developers Grainger/Helical Bar, would include a 28,000 sq ft (2,600 sq m) Waitrose store as its centrepiece.
According to the council documents: “The project board have considered the outcome of the evaluation and recommends that Grainger/Helical Bar be approved as the council’s developer partner for undertaking the project.”
The document adds that the Grainger/Helical Bar proposal is the most “economically advantageous in terms of quality, value for money and deliverability”.
The third proposal for the King Street development is from Galliford Try, the building company that has lined up a “high quality food store” as its anchor, again thought to be Waitrose.
The loss of the Hammersmith site would be a blow to Tesco, which has been trying to build a store in the area for years.
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