Plans have been submitted for a second branch of a high street health store in a city centre.
Holland and Barrett submitted the application on September 4 to take over the empty site on 14-15 East Street in Chichester.
This will be the second branch in the city, as the health store has another store on North Street.
The empty site used to be a Clinton's, known for selling greeting cards, in 2018.
It is unclear whether this would mean that the first branch will close and relocate.
Black Sheep Coffee, a coffee chain which is headquartered in London, had applied to open a branch in the empty site in September 2023 but nothing progressed.
This prompted a Banksy-style sign maker, who hides behind the moniker of Chichester Anti-Recreation Partnership (CARP), to stick a sign on the empty site poking fun at the fact.
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When asked about the reasoning behind the sign, CARP said: “I wouldn’t say that locals are hoping for more coffee shops — there’s certainly no shortage of them in Chichester!
“The sign was more a commentary on the fact that such a prime piece of commercial space had been left empty for so long.
“At the time, I didn’t know that Holland and Barrett had secured the property, which is great news.”
Sustainability is at the heart of the new store, which has been refitted using mild steel, a 100 per cent recyclable material, along with FSC-certified wood. LED-powered lighting has also been designed to be more efficient, reduce energy consumption and cut carbon emissions.
Through Holland and Barrett’s store transformation programme, recycled materials have been used where possible from old stores to minimise waste.
The 1625 sq.ft store is Holland and Barrett’s third store in Brighton and Hove. The other two are located in Churchill Square shopping centre and George Street in Hove.
Brighton store manager Imogen Jones said: “I’m thrilled to be a part of this new store, bringing wellness to Brighton, a city known for its vibrant community and commitment to health.”
Holland and Barrett was approached for comment by The Argus.
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