Soult's Retail View

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

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

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

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

Primark, Newcastle (30 Oct 2012)

The outside of Newcastle’s enlarged Primark is finally starting to gain its funky cladding, as the Northumberland Street store gets ready for its planned opening.

Since I last updated on the project at the end of July, the exterior of the building has changed … Continue Reading

TJ Hughes, Lichfield, prior to closure (19 Mar 2010)

The confirmation that Debenhams will be opening up in Lichfield’s former TJ Hughes store in March 2013 is great news for the city, and should give a big footfall boost to neighbouring retailers.

The … Continue Reading

Cath Kidston, St Ives, Cornwall (20 Feb 2011)

Cath Kidston is to open a standalone store in Newcastle city centre, it has been revealed.

The upmarket clothing, accessories, bags and homeware retailer – famous for its floral prints and patterns – has signed for the unit at 136-138 Grainger Street, opposite Urban Outfitters, which currently houses the footwear brand Office.

… Continue Reading

L’Occitane shop in Mestni trg, Ljubljana, Slovenia (26 Jul 2011)

L’Occitane en Provence, the upmarket beauty products retailer, is to open a standalone shop in Newcastle’s Eldon Square next month.

Details of the September store opening – which were … Continue Reading

Ex-TJ Hughes, Middlesbrough, prior to arrival of Metro Outlet (30 Sep 2011)

TJ Hughes is to reopen its store in Middlesbrough’s Captain Cook Square, it has been confirmed.

The move comes almost exactly a year after the store … Continue Reading

Development work at Monument Mall (27 Jul 2012)

It seems that Hammerson, the owner of Newcastle’s Monument Mall, may have inadvertently revealed two of the tenants that it’s signed up for the redeveloped shopping centre.

Just on Monday, eagle-eyed retail enthusiast Mike Ho (@inmh88 on Twitter) … Continue Reading

Leslie Jones Architecture’s render of Eldon Square’s Northumberland Street entrance

Plans to be officially unveiled later this week reveal that the Northumberland Street entrance to Newcastle’s Eldon Square shopping centre is set to undergo a massive makeover.

The planning application for the … Continue Reading

Former Peacocks, Middlesbrough (7 Mar 2012)

Middlesbrough might have lost its Pure Party store in the fallout from Clinton Cards’ collapse, but as some retailers depart the town others are arriving – or expanding.

Just now, it seems that the once thing the town can’t get enough of is discount variety … Continue Reading

Demolition of Tesco Gateshead (13 May 2012)

Demolition of Gateshead’s old Tesco superstore is nearing completion, just three weeks after it closed its doors to customers.

After trading from the site since 1972, the store closed on … Continue Reading

Monument Mall, Newcastle (16 Apr 2012)

Work started yesterday (16 April) on Hammerson’s much-anticipated redevelopment of the Monument Mall shopping centre in Newcastle, which will see the mall’s circulation spaces infilled and new full-depth, street-facing shop and restaurant units created in their place.

The recent departure of … Continue Reading

Tesco Gateshead mailout (13 Apr 2012)

Ahead of the Gateshead superstore’s closure on 22 April, Tesco has mailed details of its temporary store to local customers – but they may have trouble finding it using the map provided.

While the leaflet gives the correct address for the former Kwik Save premises, the attached map locates the store on … Continue Reading

New Primark, Newcastle (30 Mar 2012)

Back at the start of the year, I promised that 2012 was going to be an eventful year for Newcastle city centre in terms of interesting retail developments and new store openings. As we approach Easter, it’s probably time for an update on how things are progressing, both in … Continue Reading

Uniqlo signage, Coventry (7 Feb 2012)

Among all the posts about closed-down Woolworths and ex-Nettos, my occasional ‘I haven’t seen one of those in a while’ features always seem to go down well.

Indeed, whether it’s highlighting … Continue Reading

Existing Metro Outlet in Gateshead (25 Mar 2011)

Middlesbrough had some retail good news on Saturday, as a new store opened its doors in the town’s former TJ Hughes premises – following on from the … Continue Reading