RISHTON’S Bentley Ribble Valley garage will move out of the town by the end of the year to make way for a mystery supermarket.

Discussions are already underway with “more than one retail operator” to take over the Harwood Road building.

The site is owned by the Hurstwood group and a spokesman said he was unable to confirm or deny if supermarket giant Tesco was one of the interested businesses.

Tesco has already been granted permission to build a superstore in Great Harwood, much to the dismay of small, independent traders who are concerned about the effect it will have on business.

Planning permission has already been granted for change of use of the Rishton building but a separate application would have to be submitted if a supermarket chain wanted to expand the site.

The luxury car dealership is set to move to South Rings in Preston. Work has begun on the new premises and is due to be completed by December.

Ribble Valley Motor Company Ltd, which runs the Rishton garage, is also hoping to open a garage in New Hall Hey, Rawtenstall, selling a whole array of vehicles from budget to top-of-the-range.

Developers Hurstwood has owned the Bentley showroom for more than five years but the garage itself has been in Rishton for more than 30 years, previously owned by Mercedes.

Hurstwood development director Geoff Lever said: “We are absolutely delighted to be taking Bentley to Preston and we are determined to make it one of the most outstanding dealerships in the country.

“The new showroom is in an excellent location, close to the M61, M65 and M6 motorways, so it will cater for all our current customers and serve to attract new customers from across Lancashire, Cumbria and beyond.”

The Lotus showroom across the road is unaffected by the changes.