Retail warehouse

Retail warehouses are large, single-level stores, typically with a minimum of 1000 square metres gross retail floorspace, normally selling goods for home improvement or gardening, furniture, electrical goods, carpets and so on. They are most commonly found in the fringe of towns or in out of town locations.

Retail warehouses may be stand-alone buildings, or may be located on trading estates or parks. Generally, an agglomeration of at least three retail warehouses constitutes a retail warehouse park. They generally offer a significant amount of car parking, which may be shared with other retail warehouses.

The Valuation Office Agency suggests that the construction of retail warehouses shows greater visual similarity to warehousing than to standard shops. They usually occupy a single floor, the majority of which is devoted to sales, with some ancillary storage and office use.

Typically, they are

• Older buildings converted from a previous warehouse or industrial use.
• 1980s or 1990's modern estates or parks.
• Mid 1990s and 2000's larger, modern purpose-built units.
• From late 2000's, modern retail parks with a high street.

For planning permission purposes, retail warehouses come under use class A1 (shops) unlike other types of warehouse which are typically use class B8 (storage or distribution).

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