Billericay to get a giant cash and carry (From Echo)

Members-only cash and carry store for Radford Crescent, Billericay

8:00am Tuesday 15th May 2012 in News By Faye Hackwell

A GIANT cash and carry is going to be built in an industrial estate warehouse.

Plans to transform part of the building in Radford Crescent, Billericay, into a members only shop selling end of line goods have been approved by Basildon Council chiefs.

Food retailer Heley International, which already runs a similar cash and carry in Grays, will run the store in part of the building, while using the rest of the warehouse to distribute food, household products, toiletries and drinks.

Products on sale will include branded foods, beverages and toiletries.

About a dozen jobs will be created by the project and customers will have to apply for membership to use the cash and carry.

The building is currently occupied by IT firm Mainet, which is bringing Heley International in as a tenant.

Mainet plans to move into smaller accommodation because it doesn't need such a big building.

In a report on the plans, a spokesman for Mainet said: “There is a well-established precedent in Radford Crescent for showrooms and trade sale units associated with the primary function of the warehouse.”

Basildon Council's planning officers raised concerns about how the new use of the building would impact on car parking and the developer has agreed to provide 12 parking spaces for staff and customers.

Heley International began in east London in the mid-1970s and expects to attract about five customers an hour to its Radford Crescent site.

The firm’s headquarters are at Trafalgar House in London Road, Grays.