Family fashion and grocery retailer Guess How Much! has signed a deal to open a new store at Walkden’s Ellesmere Centre.
Around 20 new jobs are expected to be created when the shop opens on Bolton Road in early August.
The new clothing, homewares and groceries chain, which is abbreviated to GHM! have signed up for a 10-year lease on a 10,000 sq ft unit (G1B) at Walkden Retail Park on Bolton Road.
Walkden Town Centre Shopping Centre and Retail Park
The new chain only opened its first store in June 2016.
But it enters a highly competitive field, competing with the likes of Home Bargains, B&M and The Range.
Ex-ASDA boss Andy Bond, who runs GHM! has brought in Koray Gul as managing director, Simon Singleton as operations director and former Poundstretcher finance director Roy Ellis.
They are making Walkden part of their first UK expansion after opening branches in Sheffield, Leicestershire and Kent earlier this year.
The news comes just days after SalfordOnline.com revealed that local budget retailer Quality Save was eying up the former home of Club 3000 bingo hall Walkden’s New Ellesmere Approach.
New store announced in June: Quality Save aim for 50 jobs with double takeover
GHM are opening up to 10 discount stores nationwide over the summer.
Walkden will be their fourth UK store.
They’ll stock kids and adult clothing and household groceries at aggressive discount prices.
“While a typical 10,000 sq ft store carries around 6,000 items, we’ll sell an edited range of only the products mums or households buy most often,” said a spokesperson for the brand.
“We want to be the ultimate one-stop shop to refill every cupboard, drawer, larder and wardrobe in the home and save money.”
GHM are expected to have a concession from PEP&CO clothing – another discount retailer. The Salford precinct store featured heavily in ITV‘s recent documentary Bargain Shop Wars.
James Maule-Ffinch, Senior Asset Manager at The Derwent Group said: “Guess How Much is the latest brand to join our diverse tenant mix at Walkden. We’re always looking for new ways to extend the retail and leisure offer at Walkden by developing the retail park which forms an important part of Walkden Town Centre.”
Joint agents for Walkden Retail Park are CSP and Petch & Co.
GHM! are aiming to open in the first two weeks in August 2016.
