The budget supermarket Netto is to close its doors in Little Hulton just three months after it re-opened in a former Morrisons.
Netto returned with a flourish to the Armitage Avenue retail park on 21 April 2016, throwing open its doors at the same storefront it had occupied up to 2011.
Netto will continue trading in July but will officially close down in August.
15 other Netto stores in the North West – referred to as ‘trial’ locations – will also close, including at Heaton Park and Lymm, Cheshire.
Retail company Danks Supermarket Group and British supermarket group Sainsburys had set up a joint venture to re-open Netto stores in the North West.
But a poor financial review left both parent companies wanting to pull back from the expansion.
The history of the site is a little complicated.
In May 2011 Morrisons took over the 12,000 sq ft store from Netto.
Netto’s UK operations were bought out by Asda in a deal worth £775 million, so the Scandanavian budget brand agreed to pull out of a number of UK locations, including Little Hulton.
All was fine, for a while.
But then Morrisons started to wobble.
SalfordOnline.com revealed in September 2015 how Morrisons planned to close its Little Hulton branch – and its £10 million flagship Ordsall store – in the wake of dramatic losses.
Read: Morrisons to pull plug on Little Hulton after disaster results
READ: Ordsall Morrisons one of 11 to close, staff told
Councillor Kate Lewis, who represents Little Hulton, said: “I’m extremely saddened to hear that Netto is closing.
“Many of us were delighted on hearing a few months ago that Netto were to replace the shop left vacant by Morrisons, not least because of the efforts they made to re-employ those who had previously lost their jobs.
“Netto was welcomed by the community and it will be such a shame for our community if it is again to be left vacant.
“There seemed to be a good level of demand for a small supermarket there and I hope that another retailer will see this as an opportunity.”
Cllr Lewis has told SalfordOnline.com that she will be speaking to Salford City Council’s business team in the hope that they can help encourage another retailer to take up residence at the site.
