Following the collapse of Tesco's plans for Kirkby Town centre, progress on the regeneration of the town halted. It was not until St Modwen, a regeneration specialist, acquired the town from Tesco in October 2015 that regeneration began to resume. St Modwen acquired the town for £35.8 million. St Modwen planned for a multi-million pound retail-led regeneration of Kirkby Town Centre spearheaded by St Modwen and carried out in partnership with Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council. Together, they planned to develop and expand the retail centre and complement the existing offer from Tesco, as well as the provision of a significant new housing scheme on a 65-acre site situated close to the Town Centre.