Station Place

INDEPENDENT businesses are on guard in Finsbury Park after it was revealed a big name supermarket chain is moving in.

Asda is opening an ‘Express’ store in Station Place – only the 13th for the chain in London, and the first in the borough.

It will take the empty unit next to the tube station left by the now permanently closed Arsenal shop, which did not reopen after the disruption caused by the coronavirus lockdown.

The Asda Express has applied to the Town Hall to sell alcohol from 6am until midnight – but has plans to move to a 24-hour operation in the future.

It also hopes to provide customers with hot drinks as “late night refreshments”.

Licensing chiefs must now decide on what requests will be permitted.

Arsenal now sell replica shirts, merchandise and souvenirs at a club shop – known as The Armoury – below the Emirates Stadium.

Asda estimates it serves 18 million customers across the country every week.