B&Q will move into the former Poundland unit in North Street, Brighton, which has been vacant since February.

The DIY retailer has submitted plans to Brighton and Hove City Council for the installation of new signs on the shopfront.

The new sign would say B&Q Local, a new concept from the company offering a range of products in smaller stores that are supposed to be in more convenient locations for customers.

Poundland shut its door in the busy street on February 24.

A spokesman for the discount retailer said at the time: “The store closed on February 24 as sadly, we’ve been unable to renew the lease.

“It goes without saying we work hard to find other opportunities for colleagues in these circumstances and we have two other stores close by.

Plans for the new shop frontage (Image: B&Q)

“We look forward to welcoming customers to those stores on London Road and Western Road which are both just a short walk away – they both carry much wider ranges than we could accommodate at North Street.”

But Poundland has also opened up new stores after it took on 71 Wilko sites as part of its expansion plans after its rival collapsed into administration in August.

Former Wilko stores have now opened as Poundland in cities including Newcastle, Leicester and Leeds.

It was another blow to shoppers in Brighton after Kurt Geiger, Sandro and Maje all closed in January.

The B&Q plan comes amid the announcement this week from Brighton DIY store Dockerills, stating that it will be closing at the end of September.

The store is the last Dockerills standing, though the business has been running since 1915 when Walter Dockerill opened a store in Edward Street.

The Dockerill family bought the Church Street unit in the 1970s and it has been a constant in the North Laine ever since.

Ryan Gayler, who is married to Karen, Walter Dockerill’s granddaughter, told The Argus: “It has been really tough. We have tried to change so much and we have tried everything.

“We made drastic changes during Covid including the unit next door being sold.”





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