MOVEMENT in Warrnambool's central business district will see a block of Liebig Street shops full for the first time in years.
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Chemist Warehouse will move from the eastern side of Liebig Street to the former ANZ bank site on the opposite side of the street next year.
Owner Jason Yacoub said the move meant shoppers would be able to access car parking at the rear of the new store, with parking a main restriction for the current site.
"You can fit three cars in front of our shop and that's it," Mr Yacoub said. "It's the number of car parks that is the biggest issue."
Chemist Warehouse bought Priceline in September 2017 and took over its Liebig Street site later that year.
A move to the new site will allow the business to increase its floor space, but the site will require extensive renovations.
First National Real Estate director Christine Steere said she was pleased to lease the former bank, which has sat mostly vacant since 2014 except for when it was briefly used by Warrnambool City Council while the street underwent a major upgrade.
"The whole middle block on that side of the street is now leased," Ms Steere said.
"Once we placed Cotton On, we had national tenants who wanted to be around them, that's Bonds, Gazman, and most recently Katies to Bed Bath N' Table."
But Ms Steere said she was now focused on filling stores on Liebig Street's eastern side, with Chemist Warehouse's departure to take the number of empty stores on that side to four.
She said the trend over the past few years was for national retailers to show increased interest in Liebig Street.
But she also acknowledged there were "a number of reasons why economically" traders and shoppers had reported challenges on the street. Ms Steere believed "traffic issues" during the street works were only one factor, while increased online services for banks and retailers were also reasons for changes to the street's usage.
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