F&F at Tesco Extra, Gateshead (17 May 2013)

It might not open for another three days (at 8am on Thursday 23 May), but last Friday I was delighted to be the first blogger or journalist to officially get a tour of Gateshead’s new Tesco Extra, centrepiece of the town’s £150m Trinity Square development.

Embargoed until this morning, I can now share my photographs and insights from that … Continue Reading

Soon-to-be Wetherspoon’s (former Woolworths), Blairgowrie (11 May 2013)

If you like looking at shops and high streets, going on holiday to north west Sutherland, in Scotland – as I did earlier this month – isn’t necessarily the best choice.

The scenery is incredible, of course, but Spars and Costcutters are about as exciting as it gets retail-wise. For someone used to living in a city, the idea of the nearest proper high … Continue Reading

West Street frontage of Trinity Square (17 May 2013)

With just four days to go before the Tesco-anchored retail portion of Trinity Square opens (on Thursday 23 May), Gateshead shoppers are getting their first glimpses of signage and shopfit works, while the site as a whole remains a hive of activity. Alongside, the confirmed tenant list continues to evolve.

Since my … Continue Reading

Ground-floor gift department at Havens, Westcliff-on-Sea (24 Sep 2010). Photograph courtesy of Havens

The traditional, independent department store has been a fixture of the British high street for generations – yet look around, and you could be forgiven for thinking its days were numbered.

From the current … Continue Reading

Trinity Square’s High Street frontage (21 Apr 2013)

One month ahead of its 23 May opening, the names of several more tenants for Gateshead’s £150m Trinity Square development have emerged.

The most recent brochure for the Tesco-led regeneration scheme, dated September 2012, features … Continue Reading

Items from Lucza’s collection. Photograph courtesy of Lucza

Yesterday’s blog about Jack Wills opening a Newcastle store alongside TK Maxx and Armani Exchange demonstrated that many established fashion names are continuing to find opportunities on the high street alongside developing their online operations.

However, the success of Asos – with … Continue Reading

Jack Wills, Exeter (9 Sep 2011)

I understand that self-styled “university outfitter” Jack Wills has agreed terms on the prominent corner unit at Hammerson’s Monument Mall, bringing the brand to Newcastle for the first time.

The unit (pictured below), with frontages to both Blackett Street and Northumberland Street, is the space that Evans and Wallis occupied … Continue Reading

Rescued HMV store in Newcastle (5 Apr 2013)

Following Graham’s recent article about HMV’s buyout by restructuring specialists Hilco, it is worth taking a look at what lies ahead for this British institution. While the closure of getting on for half the UK stores suggests otherwise, HMV does … Continue Reading

Premurosa.com homepage (8 Apr 2013)

One of the joys of doing a lot of networking in the North East – both via social media and in person, through networks such as Durham Business Club and The Mussel Club – is that I get to meet lots of really interesting retail-related people, often in the early stages of building and growing their businesses.

Though the … Continue Reading

1951 advert for HMV, featuring the iconic Nipper image

It’s been nearly three months coming, but now the news that everyone wanted to hear has been confirmed: the iconic entertainment retailer HMV, which collapsed in January, has been … Continue Reading

Plaque at former Woolworths (now Wetherspoon’s), Prestwick (21 Nov 2012)

As well as covering the long-gone Woolworths stores in Harrow Station Road and Sudbury Hill, another intriguing post on Stuart … Continue Reading

Former Woolworths (now Iceland), Sudbury Hill (10 Feb 2012)

It’s been great to see a new Woolworths-related history blog appear this week, courtesy of longstanding former Woolies staff member Stuart Kew.

His blog, Forgotten London Woolworths, does exactly what it implies, visiting “some … Continue Reading

Club Clas promotion on Clas Ohlson’s Swedish website (12 Mar 2013)

Clas Ohlson, the Swedish ‘modern hardware’ retailer, has launched its first loyalty scheme – the ‘Club Clas’ customer club – in its home market, with the UK expected to follow in 2014, I understand.

The move is the latest stage in the retailer’s multichannel offensive, which has already seen … Continue Reading

Former Woolworths, Newton Aycliffe (5 Jan 2012)

Headlines:

• 214 ex-Woolworths stores visited, out of the 807 that closed following its collapse
• Of those, only 12 currently empty (6%)
• 7 continually empty (3%)
• 35 with two or more post-Woolies uses (16%).

Looking at my blog, you might be forgiven for thinking that I’ve forgotten about Woolworths in recent months.

It’s certainly true that the number of Woolies-related posts has slowed down a bit – partly due … Continue Reading

New Maplin, Grainger Street, Newcastle (3 Mar 2013)

Electronics specialist Maplin has confirmed that its relocated Newcastle branch will open on Saturday 16 March.

The retailer is leaving its current site at 43 Pilgrim Street and moving to the ex-Tiso unit at 100-104 Grainger Street, where it will trade from both … Continue Reading

Poster showing Victoria’s Secret at Monument Mall, Newcastle (3 Mar 2013)

Newcastle is set to host one of the UK’s first branches of US lingerie retailer Victoria’s Secret – if new posters around Hammerson’s Monument Mall development are to be believed.

Following the opening of the scheme’s new TK Maxx store last Thursday (28 February), posters featuring updated artist’s impressions of … Continue Reading

Ponden Home, Gateshead (17 Feb 2013)

Ponden Home, the soft furnishings and accessories retailer, has opened a new shop in Gateshead town centre, taking the unit in Jackson Street that had been empty since Bonmarche closed down a year ago.

Though the letting to Ponden Home had been rumoured since before Christmas, the speed of the store’s opening is impressive. … Continue Reading

New TK Maxx, Northumberland Street, Newcastle (10 Feb 2013)

Getting on for a year since the redevelopment of Monument Mall began, the first reconfigured store within the Hammerson-owned scheme is finally preparing to open its doors.

The development’s anchor retailer – the fashion and homewares chain TK Maxx – whose opening … Continue Reading

Clas Ohlson website (15 Feb 2013)

On the same day as the ONS has revealed an unexpected fall in UK retail sales during a snowy January, one retailer – the Swedish hardware chain Clas Ohlson – has unveiled its best monthly year-on-year sales increase at UK … Continue Reading

Existing Mountain Warehouse store in Scotch Street, Carlisle (13 Feb 2013)

The boss of Mountain Warehouse has told Soult’s Retail View that the chain plans to open a new, bigger store in Carlisle – despite its current store in Scotch Street being in the midst of a closing-down sale.

Since I … Continue Reading