New owners at former Co-op
The derelict former Co-op building next to the new Ashley Down store is in the process of being transferred to new owners. But there are no signs yet of any redevelopment plans.
The site was sold for £1.8m in April 2019 to two Manchester-based companies. Land Registry documents show an application was made in July 2025 by lawyers in Belfast to transfer the land and buildings at 327-335 Gloucester Road to as yet unidentified owners.
An auction of the Co-op building was due to take place in September, but was cancelled after the sale was withdrawn. Sales literature described it as a prime development opportunity with potential for retail use and student accommodation over four floors. A spokeswoman for auctioneers Savills told Gloucester Road News that they could not comment on ownership nor on why the sale had been cancelled.
No formal planning application has yet been made to Bristol City Council regarding the future of the site.
A substantial part of the current building dates back to 1914 when it was opened as the Premier Cinema. Originally seating 700 people, it was renovated in the 1940s to accommodate 960 seats.
After closing in 1964, it became MAC Builders’ Merchants, which operated at least until the 1980s. It was latterly occupied by the supermarket chain Somerfield before the group’s takeover by the Co-op.
Background information supplied with kind permission of The Gloucester Road Story.
