A brand-new Spar store and eight pump Shell forecourt has reopened at Lathom in West Lancashire following a £3m complete knockdown and site rebuild.
Spar Lathom is located on the A5209 between Burscough and Parbold and reopened its doors to a queue of excited customers after a five-month closure.
In that time, an expanded Spar store has been repositioned at the opposite end of the site, and the store now offers a Graham Eyes butchers counter, a Clayton Park Bakery serve over deli counter and hot food unit, and two Cheeky Coffee machines.
Other store highlights include a bakery section with freshly baked bread and breakfast products, and there is a market feel to the flowers and the loose fruit and vegetables that customers see first as they walk through the doors.
Another new addition is a strong frozen foods section under the Iceland brand, an extensive fresh foods range, and a broad selection of beers, wines, and spirits.
Externally, the forecourt features two EV charge points, AdBlue dispensers, and an air, screen wash, and vacuum area. There are also 25 car parking spaces and an ATM. The store and forecourt opening hours are 7am until 11pm.
Owned by James Hall & Co. Ltd, the increased store size has also seen the staff numbers grow from nine to 29, with the original retail team retained and thrilled to reopen the store to the community.
Ahead of the launch, Spar Lathom ran a competition for Lathom Park Primary School children to design a Spar tote bag. The bag is on sale in the store, and 50 of them were also handed out to the first customers through the door with range of Spar products inside.
Spar Lathom has also partnered with Rainbow Hub, a charity providing therapeutic services for children and young people with physical disabilities, and a previous recipient of a £10,000 grant through Spar’s Community Cashback initiative.
Spar Lathom has sponsored the charity’s 2026 Christmas tree collection and Rainbow Hub staff and children attended the launch. They were alongside Directors from James Hall & Co. Ltd, members of the store team at Spar Lathom, and Cllr Anne Fennell and Cllr Judy Abbott, Mayor and Mayoress of West Lancashire, who cut the ribbon to reopen the store.
Cllr Fennell said: “It was a pleasure to be asked to cut the ribbon to reopen Spar Lathom. I have come full circle with it as I was on the planning committee when the redevelopment plan was approved. I enjoyed browsing the store and being introduced to many people from James Hall & Co. Ltd on launch day.
“The vision has become a reality, and Spar Lathom is an impressive site now that it is finished with a fantastic offer for the community. I wish the store team every success with it.”
Damian Owen was one of the first customers through the doors. He said: “You could hit a cricket ball to my house from here I live so close by. I am delighted to have the store and forecourt back open as my wife and I have really missed it.
“It is a brilliant store, and the butchers and deli are excellent. Such a good job has been done with its redevelopment. I am also very pleased the original store staff have been retained as part of the bigger team as they are a great people.”
Jo Blood, another of the early customers, said: “We live very locally, and I will definitely be using the store regularly again now it is open. It is fabulous and modern, and so bright, refreshing and spacious inside.
“Having the butchers is very convenient and it is a great quality offer. I also think having fresh bread and pastries is something people locally will take advantage of. I am looking forward to using the deli too and I think the store will do really well, especially with the passing trade for fuel.”
Fiona Drummond, company stores director at James Hall & Co. Ltd, said: “We recognised that with our store closed for five months we had to deliver the wow factor for our customers upon reopening, and I am thrilled that we have provided that with the transformation at Spar Lathom.
“It is quite clear how highly regarded the store team are and how much we have been missed from the conversations I had with customers on the day. Our relaunch has come in the week of Bonfire Night, and we are back with a bang and proud to be serving the community once again.”
James Hall & Co. Ltd is a fifth-generation family business which serves a network of independent SPAR retailers and company-owned Spar stores across Northern England six days a week from its base at Bowland View in Preston.
