Iconic seaside building fetches £1.5m under the hammer

Ed Plaister (left) and David Plaister (second from right) alongside the former owner and new buyers

Retail units and apartments will replace the former TJ Hughes building in Weston-super-Mare.

The "iconic" ex-discount store has fetched £1.5m at auction with planning approved for four retail units on the ground floor, 10 parking spaces, and up to 40 apartments above it.

The sale is expected to complete on 10 May and the buyer said they hoped to start development work "almost immediately".

Located on the high-street, the building has been empty for more than a decade due to a "decline in retail operators".

Auctioneers David Plaister LTD, took to Facebook to congratulate the former owner and its two new buyers.

Director, David Plaister, said he was "very pleased with the sale".

Locals also shared their well wishes on social media, with some posting they would "look forward to seeing the improvements" and hoped the renovation would "benefit the town".