The new Greggs drive thru opened yesterday, July 31, and completes the transformation of the site.

“It is fantastic to finally see it complete and bearing fruit,” say the developers behind the creation of new ‘gateway to the city’ on a well-known site.

The development on the edge of the city in Pennywell is now complete | Submitted

placeholder image — The development on the edge of the city in Pennywell is now complete | Submitted

This week, work completed on the regeneration of Sunderland’s former Dewhirst site, after the final two retail units opened to the public, with Starbucks and Greggs opening their doors on Pennywell Industrial Estate.

UK Land Estates completed the development of the two drive-thru units, which stand adjacent to the already completed Wickes, Aldi and KFC, on the new retail scheme which stands at one of the main entrances to the city off the a19.

The businesses stand on the site of the former Dewhirst factory, who were a household name in its 20th century heyday, with roots in the city dating back to the 19th century.

The company employed hundreds of people at its peak, before its Leechmere site closed in 2002 and its Pennywell factory ceased production a year later.

The site then stood largely vacant until 2022 when UK Land Estates was granted planning permission to develop a new retail park on the edge of the city.

(l-r) Tim Witty, Development Director at UK Land Estates and Brandon Bailey, Project Director at UK Land Estates, outside of the newly opened Greggs unit. | Submitted

Tim Witty, development director at UK Land Estates, said: “We’ve seen a real surge in demand for well-connected, out-of-town retail parks over recent years and the redevelopment of the former Dewhirst site is a prime example of this.

“As soon as we were granted planning permission in 2022, we were inundated with queries from parties looking to capitalise on the site’s prime location, so it is fantastic to finally see it complete and bearing fruit.

“In Wickes, KFC, Aldi, Starbucks and Greggs we have been able to attract five national and global brands to the site, creating dozens of jobs for local people while providing a major lift to the city’s economy.

“It has been a fantastic project to be involved in and I’m sure as we look ahead to 2026, there will be yet more sites to follow as we seek to capitalise on the seemingly increasing popularity of the North East as a great place to invest and do business.”