The discount giant is moving into the old Waitrose supermarket on Stratford Road which closed down in January
Signs have gone up outside the former supermarket(Image: Emily Chaplin/BirminghamLive)
A Birmingham neighbourhood will be getting its own B&M store after months of rumours following the closure of a long-standing Waitrose supermarket.
Locals in Hall Green were disappointed see the Stratford Road store close down in January after it had been serving the community for more than 50 years.
Bosses called the decision a ‘last resort’ after failed attempts to boost falling profits at the branch, but residents raised concerns that the closure was just ‘another nail in the coffin’ for the area’s retail scene.
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Hopes for a quick replacement were sparked in April when workmen were spotted at the boarded-up site, with rumours swirling that discount giant B&M could be taking over the unit.
However, some residents questioned whether the retailer would open another store so close to its existing branches, the closest being less than a mile-and-a-half away at Shirley’s Parkgate shopping centre.
Waitrose had been a feature of Hall Green’s Stratford Road since 1971 until it closed in January 2025(Image: Nick Wilkinson/Birmingham Live)
B&M didn’t respond to confirm or deny rumours at the time, but has now made its plans public after signs were erected outside the old supermarket.
Confirming an open date, a spokesperson said: “The scheduled opening date of Hall Green is Friday, August 1 and has a sales floor of 15,903sqft.”
Asked whether nearby stores at Parkgate and Solihull Retail Park would remain operational, they added: “This is a brand new store and not a relocation.”
The new branch is expected to stock B&M’s usual range of discounted goods, including groceries, household items, toiletries, cleaning products and children’s toys.
The unit is a short distance from another development going on at the old Horseshoe pub, which is soon to reopen as a Costa drive-thru, while part of the pub car park will become a Farmfoods supermarket.