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Why has Audi just bought this abandoned psychiatric hospital in the heart of London
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Well, the answer is simple, to turn it into a supermarket. In a move that's likely to spark massive debate among property developers and locals alike
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the discount giant has officially snapped up the site of a former psychiatric facility
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This isn't a standard property deal, but it is a symbol of how the London retail landscape
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is shifting in 2026. While traditional department stores are struggling, the discounters are hungry for space. Any space. London's retail market is notoriously
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tight, forcing retailers to get creative with non-traditional sites. By repurposing an abandoned
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hospital, Aldi could swerve the sky-high costs of a new-build retail park while embedding
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itself directly into a residential community. Critics fear we're losing architectural heritage
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but for residents facing a cost-of-living squeeze, a local budget supermarket is a major win
