An 'anti-super' supermarket is to open in New Brighton this week forming the next stage of the seaside town's huge regeneration scheme.
Local entrepreneur Dan Davies and his firm Rockpoint Leisure are behind the new venue featuring live music, a bar, recording studio and artisan retailers on Victoria Road.
It will be named Hope: The Anti-Super Supermarket, and will host an open-house preview this weekend.
READ MORE: CruiseAppy merges with web developer iprogress as plans for global growth revealed
The former supermarket, which has been under the control of several chain stores over the years including Co-op and Kwik Save, has been totally transformed into an independent market, community hub, and arts and events space in just four weeks.
The Rockpoint project already includes venues such as Middle Eastern restaurant Habibi, RockPoint Records and the traditional James Atherton Pub.
Mr Davies, who said his firm has so far invested over £6.5m in the town, explained: "The idea is to add in a butcher, a baker, a candlestick maker, but also give a platform to have retail, clothes, craft, apparel, but have a spin on it in a different way with live music and entertainment and a craft brewery in the back and a recording studio in the top.
"We want to really give it a more vibrant feel. That's what we wanted and are trying to create."
Most Read
The recording studio - named Hope Street after the road behind it - will be located on the first floor of the venue.
The project to "recycle and transform the old failed supermarket into a new home and a new hope for local independent traders" has taken just four weeks to complete.
The opening weekend will feature musicians, street food stalls and resident traders selling everything from craft ales to books - alongside a new bar situated on site.
A statement from the supermarket added: "The journey has only just begun! We have already gathered an amazing collection of crafters, vendors, artists, musicians and volunteers to celebrate the start of something new and transformative in the heart of the 'new' New Brighton."
The site has been the subject of a lot of attention in recent weeks from passers by and motorists on Victoria Road and Rowson Street - after it was .
Don't miss a thing - sign up for your free North West newsletter - and follow us on LinkedIn
Email newsletters
BusinessLive is your home for business news from around the North West- and you can stay in touch with all the latest news from Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, Cheshire, Lancashire and Cumbria through our email alerts.
You can sign up to receive daily morning news bulletins from every region we cover and to weekly email bulletins covering key economic sectors from manufacturing to technology and enterprise. And we'll send out breaking news alerts for any stories we think you can't miss.
Visit our email preference centre to sign up to all the latest news from BusinessLive.
For all the latest stories, views, polls and more - and the news as it breaks - .
Speaking about the concept behind the supermarket, Mr Davies said: "Once you have a building that's in disrepair, it doesn't help the neighbouring businesses whatsoever. It's called the broken windows theory.
Don’t miss
"People start dropping litter and doing all the small scale things that can actually very quickly spiral so the place looks run down. It's not long before you start getting an exodus.
"So when we started in 2018, a number of people just got out straightaway. They said 'you can buy our building - we've been looking at getting out for a while'.
"There were businesses hanging in there. The greengrocer has been here for 40 years.
"If the supermarket, which has been a Kwik Save, Somerfield, Co-op and Budgens, if that opened again, that would've been the last nail in his coffin and a number of others.
"But what we also had was the basics of a high street. We had a pharmacy, an opticians, a post office, green grocer, card shop, convenience store, a few pubs and cafes.
"That was the basis for which we thought 'we've got to fight to keep every one of them' because you need that base. That's especially true for the older community - for when there aren't any buses, or people who can't afford taxis, having these things is important.
"That's where the supermarket idea comes in - to add to all of these offerings."
Mr Davies also spoke to us about even more exciting news for the huge regeneration project - as well as what's next for the rapidly-developing seaside town.