Sainsbury’s news a ‘surprise’ to Chamber of Commerce

OMAGH Chamber of Commerce has expressed a number of concerns following the recent announcement that Sainsbury’s will replace the Homebase store on the Great Northern Road retail park.

The retail giant is finalising a deal to acquire ten leasehold stores from Homebase, including locations in Omagh and Derry, with plans to convert them into new supermarkets.

The transaction is expected to be completed by early September, with Sainsbury’s planning to open the first of these new stores as early as next summer.

The conversion of all ten stores is anticipated to be finished by the end of 2025. The investment, amounting to approximately £130 million, is projected to create around 1,000 additional jobs across the newly acquired sites.

The news came as a surprise to many, including the Chamber, which was not informed about the supermarket giant’s plans for the town.

John Edgar, president of the Omagh Chamber of Commerce, said the announcement has raised more questions than answers.

“Nobody in the Chamber of Commerce has heard anything about Sainsbury’s plans to open in Omagh,” Mr Edgar said. “We want the company to be part of the community, but so far, no one has reached out to us about their intentions or how this will impact the town centre.”

While acknowledging the potential benefits, such as job creation and increased competition, Mr Edgar expressed concern about the fate of current Homebase employees.

“Sainsbury’s has said that staff facing redundancies will be given interviews for positions in the new store, but there’s no guarantee these jobs will be secured,” he stated.

“It’s all well and good for the company to offer interviews, but the current staff at Homebase should never be turned down.”

Mr Edgar also highlighted uncertainty surrounding the future of the local Argos store, which is currently situated in the Showgrounds.

“With many Sainsbury’s operating Argos stores within their sites, another question is will the Argos in the Showgrounds remain open? And if not, what will happen to the staff there?”

Traffic congestion is another issue the chamber president hopes will be addressed. “Having grown up on the Tamlaght Road, I know the mayhem that ensues around the Great Northern Road, especially during peak hours. With Sainsbury’s set to open, I hope there will be proper planning to manage the additional traffic and ease congestion,” Mr Edgar said.

Both Argos and Sainsbury’s were contacted to clarify the future of the Omagh store, however at time of publishing they had not responded.