Metro Outlet takes over Middlesbrough’s TJ Hughes site, but ex-TJ’s elsewhere remain empty

Graham Soult

Retail consultant, writer, blogger; helping retailers via CannyInsights.com and CannySites.com. Say hello on Twitter at @soult!

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8 Responses

  1. Jordan says:

    I went in the store the other day and they had some good stuff in, they had all the womans clothes at 50% off, one of the deals they were promoting is one were you can get a patio set, swing and 2 loungers for £199. When I got home I searched their name in google and they seem to be in the process of building a website. The store is getting better which is good for the people of Middlesbrough.

  2. jan says:

    I was delighted with the new garden furniture range at the new Metro outlet at mbro, I got a great deal on a patio set and loungers with first class service from the staff.

  3. Andrew says:

    i often shop at the store at the metrocentre and i love that one! The Middlesbrough store is so disappointing! looks a complete mess! Far too many clothes on the rails and on the floors! Why on earth have the put the clothes beside the sofas?? I don’t want to be seen as slating the store as they do have some quality products in at good prices, but the staff at the new store don’t seem to be switched on, and having clothes beside sofas has no logic at all! Hopefully the store will see how the Gateshead branch is ran and follow in its foot steps. The store may seem disappointing now just because its just opened, but in my opinion, the Gateshead store is head and shoulders above this one.

  4. Colin says:

    Had a look in there today, first impressions were they sold have decent 2 and 3 seater sofas for only £99, which in today’s climate is probably the cheapest you will ever buy one, a bargain really. Everything ok so far, then oh my god, not clothes next to furniture, and lots of them too, all crammed into the heavens and all over the floor, what a disaster!! To put it lightly, brought the image of the store right down from a half decent start. But to be honest the store aint that bad, they sell some really good quality furniture at very good prices. I am sure if they pushed the clothes to the rear of the store and brought all the nice furniture to the front of the store it would bear more fruit for them. With the really good quality furniture they have they could make the store look really stunning when you first enter it and would generate higher sales and margins for the business. If they dont believe me all they have to do is walk out of there front doors and around the town, there is hundreds of clothes shops in the town who have better value and set ups with clothes, why have odd item clothes at the front of your store mixed with furniture, crazy!!! Maybe the store will change when they get more stock in or when they realise its all going belly up.

  5. Soph says:

    Went there, found it rather expensive!

    Escalator was working only UP, and not coming down.

    Toilets too were rather stinky. Everyone i saw in there a couple of days after it opened were rather bewildered as they where hoping it was going to replace tj hughes, (people where expecting a tj hughes replacement) but no, it’s more of a furniture shop, with expensive clothes and since mbro town has a big huge newly refurbished primark store, i don’t think Metro Outlet will do very well at all.

    • Graham Soult says:

      Thanks Soph! I’m in Middlesbrough briefly next week, so will try to take a look. If it’s anything like the Gateshead Metro Outlet, it will probably take a bit of time to get fully stocked, and for the cafe to be operational. Not making a good impression in these very early days still isn’t a great idea, though.

  1. August 6, 2012

    […] sitting empty for several months, there was good news when the premises were taken over by NUT Outlet Ltd in February this year, with many of the ex-TJ Hughes staff re-employed. Operating under the Metro Outlet fascia, and […]

  2. August 21, 2012

    […] closure of all but six TJ Hughes stores a year ago left a hole in 51 town and city centres across the country, but the loss seems to have […]

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