BHS, Newcastle (20 Apr 2012)

Given my extensive coverage of the build up to Newcastle’s new BHS store in Northumberland Street, you won’t be surprised to learn that I’ve paid a couple of visits since it opened its doors on 19 April. So, what’s it like?

From the outside, it’s hard to be anything but impressed. The new glazed frontage is striking and modern, and has the advantage of allowing views into the shop – including of the well-located second-floor restaurant – as well as providing some great display spaces. The ground-floor windows of older BHS stores often seem to be filled with posters, so here it’s nice to see the product doing the talking as part of a display that’s both eyecatching and elegant.

BHS, Newcastle (20 Apr 2012)

Inside the store, the attention to detail continues in the product presentation, signage, overall environment, and even the staff uniforms. Everything looks modern and fresh, and the configuration of the store – over four levels, each much smaller than in a traditional BHS store – creates a welcome boutiquey feel that is worlds away from the ‘beige hangar chic’ of the old Newcastle store a couple of doors away.

It’s just a shame that the menswear department, on the lower-ground floor, gets a bit of a raw deal as far as space is concerned, and seems to prioritise the chain’s slightly more formal, M&S-esque labels – like Jack Reid and Atlantic Bay – over the younger and trendier Trait. Instore terminals do allow items from the full BHS range to be ordered and collected, but I wonder whether standalone Trait stores could complement BHS’s instore range, and potentially extend the brand’s reach?

One downside of the layout, too, is that moving around the store can be a challenge – particularly when it’s busy, as it was when I visited. Escalators connect all the floors, but these are deliberately configured to make you pass through the shop at each level. That’s fine, but it does make it quite an effort to get from menswear in the basement to homewares and the restaurant on the second floor, unless you’re prepared to wait for the lift, of course.

BHS, Newcastle (20 Apr 2012)

On the top floor, the BHS restaurant seems to have quickly become one of the places to eat in Newcastle – it was completely full when I visited at lunchtime on the day after opening, and was not much quieter when I popped in a weekend or two later. I reckon I’ll have to go in for a coffee at 9 in the morning if I’m to experience one of the prized window seats with their great views over Northumberland Street – or maybe at 7.30 at night, given that the store is open until 8pm every weeknight as part of Newcastle NE1′s Alive After Five initiative.

Sadly, one area that doesn’t seem to have improved from the old store is the customer service. Perhaps I was just unlucky again, but my experience at the checkout in the homewares department was similar to the one I reported on way back in March 2010: this time, the guy at the till insisted on chatting to his colleague all the time he was serving me. BHS is far from the only culprit – a similar experience in Newcastle’s now-closed Peacocks springs to mind – but a customer at the till shouldn’t feel like they have to jump up and down, wave their arms around, and shout “Helloooo! Look! I’m here!” while the member of staff continues their more interesting conversation elsewhere.

Niggles aside, however, there’s no doubt that Newcastle’s new BHS is a vastly superior store to the dreary and sprawling one that it replaced. They key test now will be to not only maintain the standard in Newcastle, but to find a way of making it scalable – quickly and viably – across the rest of the BHS estate.

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 22 April to allow redevelopment of the site to proceed. As part of the £150m Trinity Square scheme – led by Tesco’s regeneration arm, Spenhill – a much larger Tesco Extra will be opening on the site in spring next year.

Demolition of Tesco Gateshead (13 May 2012)

Given the relatively tight timescale – wih just a year between the old store closing and the new one opening – it was always likely that the closed-down store wouldn’t hang around for long. However, walking past on Sunday (13 May) I was surprised to see that the bulk of the building had already gone. To speed things up, it looks like as little as possible has been done with the interior prior to demolition, with the aisle numbers and signage still visible, hanging eerily over all the debris.

Demolition of Tesco Gateshead (13 May 2012)

Tesco Gateshead a couple of days before closure (20 Apr 2012)

From the old Lambton Street entrance (above), a sign warns shoppers ‘Danger – Tesco now closed’, in case that wasn’t apparent to them already. However, progress can be appreciated most readily from the High Street side, where a good three quarters of the frontage has disappeared.

Demolition of Tesco Gateshead (13 May 2012)

A similar view of Gateshead Tesco on 15 Mar 2012

While Gateshead Tesco is out of action for a year, shoppers are – as I noted before – having to find other options, and the much smaller temporary Tesco is now trading in the High Street’s former Kwik Save and Doggarts premises. Essentially a Tesco Express format, the store is nevertheless trading under a simple ‘Tesco’ fascia – seemingly to reflect the fact that the prices are the same as those charged in the old store, rather than the slightly elevated prices that would normally be found in an Express store. Meanwhile, I noted that the Iceland in nearby West Street has extended its opening hours, following on from Heron Foods’ refurb a few months ago; little surprise that Tesco’s local competitors are doing all they can to take advantage of its 12-month absence.

Temporary Tesco, Gateshead (13 May 2012)

Elsewhere on the Trinity Square site, the various parts of the scheme are rapidly taking shape. The curved forms of the student accommodation blocks have been in place for a while now (below), providing the Gateshead skyline with landmarks nearly as prominent as the Get Carter car park that they replaced.

Trinity Square development, Gateshead (13 May 2012)

On West Street (below), new street-facing structures run all the way between Lloyds TSB and the old Co-op department store (now Argos), with a health centre set to occupy the lower stretch of this block, on part of the former Tesco car park.

Trinity Square development from West Street, Gateshead (13 May 2012)

Further up, a pedestrianised shopping street, opposite the entrance to Gateshead Interchange, will connect West Street to High Street via the new ‘town square’. Cladding of these shops is progressing quickly, and it’s already possible to get a feel of how the street will work as a space. I’m not clear whether this section may open ahead of the new Tesco store, as the units certainly look like they’ll be ready in much less than a year.

New shopping street, Trinity Square, Gateshead (13 May 2012)

Elsewhere on site, however, the final shape of the development is still to be determined. Gateshead planners are currently considering a proposal to include a £4.7m, 24,000 sq ft, nine-screen Vue cinema as part of the scheme, taking space that had, I believe, previously been earmarked for a hotel.

It will mark a return to Tyneside for Vue, after its former multiplex at Manors in Newcastle – which only opened in 1989 – closed in 2004 and was later demolished. Indeed, it’s a neat twist that having closed to make way for Northumbria University’s £60m City Campus East, the new Vue multiplex will have 1,000 Northumbria students living on its doorstep. Certainly, it’s a canny move from Vue that should draw in students and locals alike, and play a part in building a nighttime economy for Gateshead town centre that has been sorely lacking to date.

Former Woolworths (now BrightHouse), Fleetwood (10 May 2012)

As I mentioned earlier, I paid a long-overdue visit to the North West last week, visiting smaller towns such as Prescot and St Helens as well as major centres such as Liverpool, Wigan, Preston, Lancaster and Blackpool. It’s certainly given me plenty of inspiration and material for future blog posts over the coming months, including (as you would expect) plenty of photos of ex-Woolworths stores.

Of the ex-Woolies that I visited, the store in Fleetwood (store #613), on the Flyde coast, is perhaps the one that most conforms to the traditional appearance of a pre-war purpose-built Woolworths. Opened, according to Woolworths’ company records, at 183 Lord Street on 10 May 1935 – 77 years to the day before my visit – it was apparently extended two years later and modernised in 1967, finally closing its doors on 6 January 2009 in the wake of Woolies’ collapse. Its frontage is remarkably similar to other 1930s Woolworths that I’ve blogged about before, such as the store from a few years earlier in Cirencester or the one not far from here in Bishop Auckland.

Former Woolworths (now BrightHouse), Fleetwood (10 May 2012)

Like quite a number of ex-Woolies sites elsewhere, the Fleetwood store is already on to its second post-Woolies occupant. In 2009, the North West-based discount fashion retailer Steals opened what was perhaps slightly grandiosely referred to as a ‘flagship’ store there, only for it too to close a few months later. Not long after that, in July 2010, the premises were taken over by the weekly payment store BrightHouse, which has traded there ever since.

As I noted back in 2009, I’m not a huge fan of weekly payment stores as Woolies replacements, as I feel that they lack the footfall-driving capacity of a fashion retailer or a variety store. However, there’s no disputing that the model is successful at the moment: BrightHouse’s store count is growing by 20-25 shops a year and currently stands at nearly 250 stores, while rival PerfectHome has 47 shops, mainly in the North. Both have mopped up some ex-Woolies sites in the North East, including PerfectHome in Blyth and BrightHouse in Consett (below).

Former Woolworths (now BrightHouse and council offices), Consett (2 Dec 2011)

Back in Fleetwood, however, 183 Lord Street is not the only building with a Woolworths history – though you have to dig hard to find any mention of the other one.

Indeed, the first reference I found to Fleetwood’s ‘phantom’ Woolworths was on the chain’s 1957 property list. Underneath the leased Lord Street premises – which are listed as store #613 ‘location 1′, with a leasehold value of £17,000 and an annual rent of £85 – another leased store, at 9 North Albert Street, is listed as store #613 ‘location 2′, with a leasehold value of £2,500 and an annual rent of £3. Today, this address seems to correspond to the town’s Supersaver Market household store.

Supersaver Market, Fleetwood (10 May 2012)

We know, however, that Woolworths continued to trade from Lord Street until its demise half a century later, and there’s no evidence I’ve found that it ever went on to actually occupy the North Albert Street premises any time after 1957. Had it done so, while still occupying Lord Street, the additional shop would normally have been given its own store number, but there’s nothing in the records I’ve seen to suggest that Woolies ever traded simultaneously from more than one Fleetwood location.

So, what’s the story? One online account suggests that Woolworths’ opened its first Fleetwood store in the North Albert Street property, taking over the premises from Horsleys furniture store (it’s not entirely clear when) at the point where a footfall-driving tram stop was planned for directly outside the shop. This account explains that in the end, however, the tram stop was instead built further along the street, “so Woolworths only stayed a couple of years and then went into new premises on Lord Street”.

This sounds plausible, and it could be that the 1937 ‘extension’ referred to in Woolworths’ company records – exactly two years after Woolies first traded in Fleetwood – was really a ‘relocation’; indeed, the records have been known to make this mistake before. If that’s the case, however, why would the long-vacated North Albert Street site still be featured on the 1957 property list? And why would it be listed as ‘location 2′, inferring that it was a second location rather than a superseded one?

Whatever the true details – and I’m sure we’ll piece them together before long – it’s certainly an intriguing story: of a Woolworths that only existed for a couple of years if, indeed, it ever existed at all.

Clinton Cards, St Helens (10 May 2012)

As one of the biggest recent retail administrations – in terms of both the jobs (8,000) and stores (767) that are at risk – it’s little surprise that last week’s collapse of Clinton Cards made plenty of headlines, following the decision of a major supplier, American Greetings, to call in its debts

However, while the news was undoubtedly disappointing, as well as surprising in its timing (ahead of the new CEO, Darcy Willson-Rymer, revealing his postponed turnaround strategy), few in the industry would deny that Clinton’s downfall has – to excuse the pun – been on the cards for a while.

Card Factory, Northumberland Street, Newcastle (24 Jul 2010)

As I wrote two years ago when Clintons’ major competitor, Card Factory, was about to open in Newcastle’s prime Northumberland Street, Clintons’ recent fortunes have been in marked contrast to its expanding discount rival. Back then, I noted that Clintons had had to turn over double what Card Factory had in order to generate the same profit, though the £24.1m pre-tax profit that Clintons made in 2009 – seen as disappointing at the time – seems like a different lifetime to its most recent £3.7m six-month loss. It demonstrates, if nothing else, just how quickly a retailer that’s bumping along can slump into a fatally lossmaking position.

The interesting thing, of course, is that while Clintons has plunged further into the red, Card Factory’s profits have continued to soar. So what is it that’s making Card Factory successful, even in the present downturn, while Clintons flounders?

Screenshot of Funky Pigeon website (15 May 2012)

It’s true that Clintons has been slow to address the growth of online, personalised card stores – such as Moonpig, and WHSmith’s Funky Pigeon – at the same time as the traditional greetings card market has been in decline. However, even Card Factory has only had a strong presence in that area since it bought GettingPersonal.co.uk in July last year, so while the booming personalised cards market is surely a factor in Clintons’ troubles – and one that will only get more influential – it’s still a relatively small part of the story so far.

For me, Clintons’ difficulties come down to two linked factors, both of which are largely self-imposed: its confused market positioning, and its underwhelming stores.

On the first point, Clintons’ pricing has positioned it towards the upper end of the market, competing with the more exclusive chains such as Paperchase and Scribbler, as well as with middle to top-end rivals like Hallmark and WHSmith. However, while Paperchase and Scribbler offer an undoubtedly upscale shopping environment, in select and often upmarket locations that justify the premium pricing, Clintons has stores on virtually every high street, sometimes in less-than-salubrious locations.

Birthdays, South Shields (18 Jun 2010)

The millstone of the separate Birthdays chain – Clintons’ ill-advised Kwik-Save-style purchase in 2002, which it has subsequently been trying and failing to get rid of – confuses the matter of Clintons’ positioning further: a supposedly ‘discount’ chain that has merely served to haemmorage money and increase perceptions of its parent chain as the expensive half of the partnership. No wonder that Card Factory, with its clear and straightforward value proposition has been mopping up, its reliance on own-brand cards – rather than the big card suppliers, like American Greetings – giving it full control over range and pricing.

On the second issue, of Clintons’ store estate, one problem is certainly that there are too many stores. Visiting the North West last week, for example, I spotted three eponymous Clintons stores in Preston city centre, which seems to make little sense on the modern high street. Just as important an issue, however, is that the stores are generally not up to scratch in terms of their customer experience.

Walking around Lancaster on the day that Clintons collapsed into administration, I made a point of visiting the city’s Clinton Cards store in Penny Street as well as the Card Factory shop in nearby Cheapside. While the staff in Clintons were lovely, the store itself was a bit scruffy, probably overspaced, and with the generally soulless and uncelebratory feel that seems to characterise the Clintons estate.

Though the Card Factory along the street could have done with being vacuumed, it managed to generate a lot more buzz (and many more customers) in a much smaller space. This is not an isolated experience, either, and Card Factory’s recent eyecatching window dressing for events such as Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day – even in unglamorous locations such as Gateshead town centre – has put Clintons’ efforts to shame. Yet, if Card Factory offers an experience that is at least as engaging as Clintons’ for a fraction of the price, it’s easy to see why customers are voting with their feet.

Clinton Cards store in South Shields (18 Jun 2010)

So, what can be done to sort out Clintons’ problems? Almost certainly it will involve store closures or disposals, perhaps with Card Factory mopping up some of the sites in locations where it isn’t already represented. In cities such as Preston, it surely makes more sense for a slimmed-down Clintons to invest in having one excellent store rather than three ordinary ones. Given the lack of interest in Birthdays to date, it’s also difficult to see how that might survive as a viable fascia.

So, with a truncated Clintons estate of perhaps 250-400 stores, the challenge will be much the same as any high-street retailer faces at the moment: offering customers something that is truly distinctive from what they can get online or at a retail park, whether that’s in terms of value, convenience or the instore experience.

Assuming that the new Clintons decides to position itself slightly upmarket from Card Factory – and it would probably be a fatal move to try and compete on price alone – there are several logical steps forward. Certainly it will mean smartening up and enlivening the store environment, and creating more instore theatre and events – theoretically not too hard for a retailer that is all about celebrations. At Christmas, for example, there could be mileage in having demonstrations on how to wrap the perfect present – complete with attractive deals on paper, tags and ribbons, of course.

Crucial, however, will be Clintons’ ability to beef up and leverage its multichannel position. Funky Pigeon, for example, has recently made a tentative move into stores, and there’s great potential for Clintons to use instore terminals to generate awareness of and interest in an online personalised cards offer.

If Clintons is to have a future, it needs to take on its rivals by doing things differently or better, see the Internet as an opportunity not a threat, and make sure it conjures up the instore wow factor that’s been sadly missing to date.

Former Woolworths (now Poundland and Mountain Warehouse), Cirencester (13 Nov 2011)

I often talk about how the fate of ex-Woolworths stores provides a fascinating ‘window’ on the changing high street, and the ex-Woolies in Cirencester (store #394) – which opened on 26 April 1930, 82 years ago today – is no exception.

Looking at the new occupants of former Woolworths gives us a flavour of the retail market dynamic in particular towns, as well as a snapshot of many of the retailers that are expanding and doing well in the current economic climate.

Former Woolworths (now Poundland and Mountain Warehouse), Cirencester (13 Nov 2011)

Two of those aggressively expanding chains are represented in Cirencester’s former Woolworths at 9-11 Cricklade Street: the discount outdoor retailer Mountain Warehouse and the single-price variety store chain Poundland, both of which opened in the attractive Gloucestershire town at the end of 2010.

Both businesses’ recent rise is remarkable. In 2008 – the year that Woolworths went bust – Mountain Warehouse had just 39 stores and Poundland 167. Today, they have 147 and over 350 stores respectively, meaning that the two chains have added 300 shops between them in four years – quite an achievement at a time when the high street is so often reported (wrongly, I would argue) to be on its last legs. As with other expanding discounters that I’ve often written about before – such as Store Twenty One and B&M – good-quality but affordable space freed up by Woolies’ demise seems to have been a significant driver of this growth.

Former Woolworths (now Poundland and Mountain Warehouse), Cirencester (13 Nov 2011)

The building, meanwhile, looks exactly like a 1930s Woolworths – with all the familiar architectural features that regular readers will recognise by now – though its odd lack of symmetry is, I believe, the result of a 1950s extension in the same style. From an aesthetic point of view, however, it’s perhaps a pity that the building couldn’t have been subdivided in a way that paid more heed to the symmetry of the original five-bay section.

Cirencester shops (13 Nov 2011)

Still, that’s a minor quibble, and the important thing is that the large ex-Woolies site has been brought back into active use. Given that Cirencester is not only the gateway to the Cotswolds but is also packed with character, delightful independent shops, and a quirkily higgledy piggledy House of Fraser, it’s little wonder that two of the UK’s fastest-growing chains were keen for a piece of the action.

Postcard of unknown Woolworths shopfront, 2 April 1938

The last time I shared an old photograph of an unidentified Woolworths store, Soult’s Retail View readers were quick to identify it as the original Woolies on Aberdeen’s Union Street (store #228) – a store that closed in 1990 but whose former premises still survive.

This latest teaser is a bit more of a challenge. I recently bought the postcard above on eBay, as it depicts an unidentified Woolworths shopfront – and its proud staff – in fantastic detail (click on the image to enlarge).

However, there’s no indication of which store the photograph is of, and the focus on its attractive shopfront – which was typical of the period for Woolworths – means that there are few specific architectural clues. There are, nevertheless, a few tantalising fragments that provide a starting point for my inquisitive research skills!

The date – 2 April 1938

Rather helpfully, the postcard has a date – ‘April 2nd 1938′, which was a Saturday – written in pencil on the reverse side. Given that the store was advertising ‘Easter Eggs and Gifts’ at the time of the photograph, there’s every reason to think that the date refers to when the photograph was taken. A quick check confirms that Easter Sunday in 1938 was on 17 April, which would fit with this timing.

Back of postcard of unknown Woolworths shopfront, 2 April 1938

Full-group photos of Woolies staff such as this were often published in The New Bond, Woolworths’ regular staff magazine at the time, so it makes sense to look through the 1938 issues to see whether the photograph appears. Unfortunately, however, I couldn’t spot it in any of the issues from April to December 1938 – the period during which it might conceivably have been used.

Another line of enquiry prompted by the date is to see which stores launched at about that time, as group shots like this were sometimes taken to mark a new store opening. The new Woolworths in Gosforth (#716), for example, had opened just the day before, while the original store in Sherborne (#714) – as opposed to the later, relocated store that I recently blogged about – had opened its doors on 24 March. In contrast, the opening of store #715, in Tenby, wasn’t until a little later, on 8 April, reflecting the fact that the allocation of store numbers didn’t always correspond exactly to the actual order of opening.

Could the mystery store be one of these newcomers?

A sloping street

Well, yes and no. Look closely at the photograph above, and you can see that there are steps up to the right-hand entrance but not the one on the left. From this, we can assume that the street is sloping, which would fit with Sherborne’s Cheap Street but rule out many other Woolworths locations – including Gosforth – where the street is on the level.

Look again at the top image and you can see how it has been taken in a way that makes the staff – who are the main subject of the shot – appear to be on the horizontal. The flipside of this, of course, is that the building now has a slightly curious upwards tilt.

My adjusted shot below would therefore be a more accurate view from the street, emphasing its gradient, but you can see how it creates a less pleasing composition as far as the group photo is concerned, with the angle of the pavement drawing the eye to the bottom-right corner. Clearly the photographer knew exactly what he or she was doing!

Postcard of unknown Woolworths shopfront, 2 April 1938 - how it would really have looked

Opposite Dewhurst

The quality of the image also means that quite a lot of detail is visible. There is some kind of poster, for example, referring to the Sunday Dispatch; it was a national newspaper, however, so doesn’t help us to pinpoint a location.

Detail of postcard of unknown Woolworths shopfront, 2 April 1938

More useful is the Dewhurst shop opposite – presumably a branch of the famous butcher’s chain – which can be seen reflected in the shop window. Moreover, there’s some suggestion from the photograph that the Dewhurst shop may have been on a corner site, though distortions make the exact configuration difficult to work out. Finally, looking at the reflection and the size of the Dewhurst lettering, we can probably assume that the street is relatively narrow, as a wider street would give us a broader but less detailed reflection of the buildings opposite.

A medium-sized store

The final clue is the size of the staff group, which is 30-strong. Compared, for example, to a group photo of the Sunderland Woolies staff in the July 1938 New Bond – which features about 90 staff members – our mystery store is clearly much smaller.

On the other hand, the group is rather larger than the 16-strong team from Stalybridge (#578), pictured in the May 1938 issue of The New Bond. So, it suggests that the store in question is neither a very large one nor among Woolworths’ smallest at the time.

Conclusion

So, in summary, we have a medium-sized Woolworths store, located on a narrow and sloping street opposite a branch of Dewhurst, for which 1938 may or may not be a significant year.

I’ve given you the clues – can you now help identify the mystery store?

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 the last street-facing tenants had suggested that work would begin soon, though there had been no specific announcement of a start date. However, the main Northumberland Street entrance has now been closed and fenced off – just as the fencing around the nearby BHS is about to come down ahead of its opening this Thursday.

New BHS, Newcastle (16 Apr 2012)

Meanwhile, notices on the remaining Blackett Street doors of Monument Mall advise customers that “starting on Monday 16 April 2012, a twelve month building programme will commence to re-shape the internal layout of Monument Mall Shopping Centre.”

Notice at Monument Mall, Newcastle (16 Apr 2012)

Interestingly, the notices suggest that there is no imminent plan for TK Maxx to vacate its basement premises, even though the plans show that the space will need to be reconfigured as part of the scheme. The signs advise customers that “as a result of these building works, the Northumberland Street entrance to the Shopping Centre will no longer be available. If you need to visit TK Maxx, please use either the Blackett Street entrance or the Monument Metro Station entrance to the Shopping Centre [to] gain access to the store.”

Artist's impressions of the redeveloped Monument Mall. Source: Hammerson

With work now happening on site, there will be growing interest in the tenants that Hammerson has lined up for the scheme. As far as I’m aware, no retail or leisure names have been confirmed as yet, though sources have consistently claimed that between 50% and 100% of the 12,900 sqm (139,000 sq ft) of available space would be let by the time work commenced, with high-end fashion retailers among the likely arrivals.

It’s worth reminding ourselves that this represents an increase of more than 35% in the Mall’s lettable area – which is currently just 9,500 sqm (102,000 sq ft) – all by reworking the space within the existing building envelope. Certainly, it gives us an idea of quite how much space within the scheme is currently wasted, and explains Hammerson’s keenness to lose the unlettable landlord mall and atria void areas.

Cabot Circus, Bristol (22 Feb 2011)

Whoever is lined up to take the space, Hammerson’s pedigree – which includes investments in top UK shopping centres like Birmingham’s Bullring and Bristol’s Cabot Circus – suggests that the revamped Monument Mall will be an immeasurably better version of its former neglected self.

Former Woolworths (now HomeFayre), Crewkerne (5 Oct 2011)

With a visit to Taunton on the schedule for later this month, it seems an appropriate time to write about the Somerset ex-Woolworths stores that I’ve already visited.

Back in August, I blogged about the stores that I’d checked out in North Somerset, including Weston-super-Mare (store #81), Clevedon (#992) and Nailsea (#1269) – a store that had only opened in October 2007, a year before Woolworths’ collapse.

While they all have a good forty-year head start on Nailsea, the stores that I’m writing about today are also relative latecomers in Woolworths terms, opening during a busy period between 1952 and 1965 when Woolies’ store count grew by about 350 shops: a rate of about one every fortnight, on top of the 700+ stores that already existed by then.

The first of those new stores, at 8-10 High Street in Burnham-on-Sea (#778), is one with an interesting history both before and after its time as Woolworths.

c1915 postcard of the Electric Theatre (later Woolworths), Burnham-on-Sea

From the store number, we can assume that Woolies opened there in about July 1952. The building, however, dated from the 1912 opening of the Electric Theatre cinema, whose premises Woolworths took over. The postcard view above probably dates from the middle of the 1910s, given that the cinema is built by then but the town is still referred to as ‘Burnham’ – the now-familar ‘-on-Sea’ suffix only became part of the town’s official name in 1917.

The shape of the old cinema building’s buttresses is recognisable in a 1960 shot that shows part of the Woolworths store, but the retailer’s presence in Burnham seems to have been relatively shortlived. Though still open at the time of Woolies’ 1972 stores list, Burnham-on-Sea was gone by the 1995 one, suggesting a closure sometime in the late 1970s or 80s.

Former Woolworths (now Burnham Shopping Centre), Burnham-on-Sea (12 Nov 2011)

Today, the building houses the slightly grandiosely named ‘Burnham Shopping Centre’ – more of an indoor market, really – but you can still appreciate the shape of the original cinema building, as well as one or two remaining details. Note, for example, the street-facing gable which is visible in both the 1915 postcard and my own photograph from nearly a century later.

As you would expect, towns that Woolworths withdrew from thirty or forty years ago tended to be locations with relatively small catchments and that were already declining as retail destinations. Overall, however, I thought Burnham-on-Sea’s modern-day town centre seemed in reasonable shape – some of the buildings and shopfronts could do with smartening up, but there appeared to be a fair number of shoppers, few empty premises, and some nice independent shops.

My second Somerset ex-Woolies, in Keynsham (#923), is another that had already vanished many years before Woolworths’ 2008 collapse. Again, I don’t yet have an opening date, though the store number suggests early 1956. There is, however, an address – 13-15 High Street, from both the 1957 and 1972 Woolies stores lists – and a closure date, of 21 January 1989, given on the 1995 list.

Site of former Woolworths (?), Keynsham (9 Oct 2011)

Today, slightly curiously, 13-15 High Street corresponds to the location of Keynsham’s Lloyds TSB branch, though the current building’s appearance could easily make it an early 1990s replacement for whatever premises Woolworths previously occupied. Though I haven’t yet found any old photographs showing Woolworths in situ, there is at least one view that shows the right location pre-Woolworths; it’s labelled as a 1950s photo, but looks rather older than that to me.

Closed-down Eurospar - subsequently reopened as Poundland - in Keynsham (9 Oct 2011)

Today, the centre of Keynsham town centre’s retail activity seems to be at the opposite end of the High Street, an area where Poundland has recently opened up in the former Somerfield and Eurospar premises. It’s a demonstration of Poundland’s growth and ambition as a modern-day variety retailer that it’s now opening up in smaller towns, like Keynsham, that even Woolworths had already abandoned many years ago.

Former Woolworths (now HomeFayre), Crewkerne (5 Oct 2011)

Just as Poundland is establishing itself as a successor to Woolworths in many locations, the lovely market town of Crewkerne has a local variant in the form of HomeFayre, a small South-West chain that specialises in categories such as hardware, soft furnishings, gardening and crafts.

Opened at 22 Market Street on 1 November 1957, Woolworths in Crewkerne (#989) outlasted those in both Burnham and Keynsham by trading all the way through until the chain’s eventual collapse. Happily, the premises were only empty for a few months before HomeFayre took over, and the new shop – providing an Aladdin’s cave of useful stuff – is just the type of footfall-driving store that a small town like Crewkerne needs.

Screenshot of HomeFayre website (15 Apr 2012)

HomeFayre’s web presence, unfortunately, is less appealing. The absence of any mention of Crewkerne suggests that the site at homefayre.com may have been mothballed, but it really needs to be either refreshed or removed all together: the oddly aligned text and visible HTML convey a very amateurish impression that undermines the brand, and the overall look is one of the worst I’ve seen of any retail website. There’s great potential there to showcase all that’s good about HomeFayre, but the site surely needs to communicate a more reassuring and professional image – especially if shoppers are to be comfortable ordering from its online store.

Former Woolworths (now Store Twenty One), Chard (5 Sep 2011)

My final Somerset Woolworths store, for now, is the one at 16 Fore Street in Chard (#1106), which opened on 22 July 1965. Like Crewkerne’s, it’s another store that lasted until the end, remaining empty for nearly a year before being taken over by the increasingly ubiquitous value fashion retailer Store Twenty One. As elsewhere, Store Twenty One has created a good-looking store, with a new shopfront and tasteful signage.

Here in the North East, you’ll know from my previous blogs that Store Twenty One seems to be opening up everywhere: in our region, it has taken over more of the stores vacated by Woolies’ collapse than any other retailer apart from B&M, and has also opened in other locations such as Redcar and Alnwick.

The Chard store, however, is a reminder that Store Twenty One’s growth is not just limited to one part of the country. While its brand may still be relatively unfamiliar, its impressive expansion – which, like Poundland’s, is giving a boost to smaller high streets across the country – is surely something to be celebrated.

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 the wrong side of the High Street. Customers who follow the map to the letter will end up in Poundland – where Gateshead’s Woolworths used to be – much to the delight, no doubt, of the thriving discount retailer.

Tesco Gateshead mailout (13 Apr 2012)

Tesco Gateshead mailout (13 Apr 2012)

Even without the map blooper, Poundland – along with the nearby Iceland, Home Bargains and refurbished Heron Foods stores – will certainly be hoping to mop up some of the business that would normally have gone Tesco’s way. However, the mailout showcases the determined efforts that Tesco is making to hang on to its customers ahead of the rebuilt store’s opening in spring 2013.

Tesco, Chester-le-Street (24 Jan 2011)

In addition to promoting the temporary store – which will include a relocated pharmacy – the leaflet includes money-off vouchers worth £14 and provides details of the nearest full-line Tesco stores in Kingston Park and Chester-le-Street.

Shuttle bus timetable in Tesco Gateshead mailout (13 Apr 2012)

The flyer also reveals that the Chester-le-Street store will be served by a free shuttle bus to and from Gateshead, running every hour during weekday and Saturday daytimes.

Outgoing Tesco store, Gateshead (18 Jun 2010)

Unusually, Gateshead is relatively poorly served by the big-four supermarkets: other than the soon-to-close Tesco, the nearest store to the centre is the already busy ex-Netto Asda Supermarket in Old Fold Road, while Sainsbury’s has a superstore a few miles away at Team Valley. Morrisons, meanwhile, currently has no presence in Gateshead at all, though that will change once new-build stores in Blaydon and Birtley open in the next year or two.

At only a fraction of the size of its predecessor, it’s inevitable that the temporary Gateshead Tesco will only ever cater for a small proportion of the current store’s customers. It will therefore be fascinating to see how Gateshead shoppers’ habits change over the next few months.

Free bus or not, my suspicion is that most will drift over to smaller local competitors rather than partake of the 25-minute trip to Chester-le-Street – and with Gateshead’s Tesco Extra still a year away from opening, it’s in those competitors’ hands to provide a level of value and service that stops their newly acquired shoppers ever drifting back.

Poundstretcher (formerly Woolworths and Alworths), Tiverton (9 Sep 2011)

With another shop-spotting visit to Devon scheduled for later this month, now seems like an opportune time to share the ex-Woolies photos that I took during my last trip to the county, back in September.

I blogged about the Sidmouth store (#729; now M&Co) last month, while the Tiverton ex-Woolies at 18 Fore Street (#404) popped up before in the context of discussing its subsequent occupants, Poundstretcher and, before that, Alworths. Opened as Woolworths on 8 August 1930, the Tiverton store features a version of the distinctive five-bay symmetrical frontage that I’ve discussed so many times before.

Poundstretcher (formerly Woolworths and Alworths), Tiverton (9 Sep 2011)

Perhaps uniquely for an ex-Woolworths, my photo captures visible evidence of all three of the building’s incarnations: the current Poundstretcher signage, obviously; the recognisable Woolworths shopfront, which has been retained; and a remnant of purple window dressing from the shop’s eight-month stint as Alworths.

Former Woolworths and Carpetright, Seaton (7 Sep 2011)

A store with a bit less good fortune post-Woolies is the one at The Square in Seaton (#907; opened 30 September 1955), which remained empty at the time of my visit following a fairly brief stint as Carpetright. Like in Tiverton, I was able to snap evidence of both occupiers: the remnants of the Woolworths signage, uncovered again once Carpetright’s sign was taken down; and the remains of Carpetright’s own window vinyls. As with many small-town Woolworths opened in the ’50s, Seaton’s store took over a pre-existing building rather than one that was custom-built for the chain.

Carpetright has taken over quite a few ex-Woolies sites, and the chain’s boss, Lord Harris, recently reaffirmed his commitment to opening more high-street stores alongside the retailer’s traditional retail-park locations. A prime position near the seafront in Seaton always seemed a strange choice, however – more suitable for selling buckets and spades than vinyl and laminate.

I can’t find anything about what has become of the property since my visit, though it still features – rather oddly – in the store finder on the Carpetright website. So, either the company website is out of date, or the store has reopened after previously closing down.

Former Woolworths (now Iceland), Exmouth (6 Sep 2011)

A seaside ex-Woolies with no such problems is the one in Exmouth (#510), which was snapped up by Iceland – along with 50 other stores, like Monmouth – within days of Woolworths’ closure. Opened on 28 July 1933, its present appearance stems from a 1960 modernisation, giving it a look very similar to some of Woolworths’ 1950s new-build stores.

Former Woolworths (now Iceland), Honiton (6 Sep 2011)

A store with an even more modern look is the one in Honiton’s Lace Walk shopping centre (#1225), which only opened in about 2000. It, like Exmouth’s store, was an early acquisition by Iceland in January 2009.

As often happens, I only realised after my visit that Honiton had had another Woolworths store in the past: store #876, which would point to an opening date of about April 1955. It was housed in the Pannier Market, an historic building at 115 High Street, which was built in about 1850 and once housed an ornate assembly room upstairs and a produce and livestock market on the ground floor. Though I missed getting a proper photograph (for now), the original store at least shows up in one of my general street shots, below.

High Street with Pannier Market (centre), Honiton (6 Sep 2011)

Still trading at the time of Woolworths’ 1972 stores list, the Pannier Market store seems to have closed in about 1976, Woolies apparently “pulling out of the town when it opened a store in the then newly-built Guildhall Shopping Centre, in Exeter”. Woolworths’ later return, to Lace Walk, was seemingly an acknowledgement that “Honiton was a shopping centre in its own right and not, as predicted, a mere dormitory town for Exeter”. Meanwhile, the Pannier Market has subsequently hosted businesses including G&H Interiors (from 1985), and, today, a branch of Peter Betteridge The Bed Expert.

Former Woolworths (now Wilkinson), Exeter (6 Sep 2011)

As it happens, the aforementioned Guildhall Shopping store in Exeter (#151) is another one that I was able to work into my visit. Following Woolworths’ collapse, the premises were taken over by the expanding hardware chain Wilkinson, which has benefited from Woolies’ demise to expand its South-West footprint from a low base. Of its seven stores in Devon and Cornwall, the Barnstaple shop at Green Lanes is also a former Woolworths unit.

Former Woolworths (now Wilkinson), Exeter (6 Sep 2011)

Opened on 7 October 1976, the Guildhall Woolworths was not, however, the first incarnation of store #151 – in fact, 151 in Exeter is one of few ex-Woolies to have traded from three different sites.

The first, opened on 1 December 1923, was in leased premises in a location that I’m yet to identify, while the second – operating from 7 October 1933 until 31 January 1976 – was in a purpose-built property at 190-191 High Street. Today, it is divided between McDonald’s and an empty unit (at least at the time of my visit) that formerly housed the collapsed music retailer Fopp.

Previous former Woolworths (now McDonalds), Exeter (6 Sep 2011)

As in Honiton, I only discovered the existence of yet another former Exeter Woolworths after I’d been and gone. That store – #838 – opened in leased premises at 35 Sidwell Street in about October 1954, but appears to have closed sometime in the 1970s or 80s. Today – going back to the subject that kicked off this particular blog post – the address houses a branch of Poundstretcher.

With John Lewis’s Exeter store – the first in its new ‘flexible format’ – set to open further along Sidwell Street this autumn, that might be just the excuse I need to pay a return visit.

Thorntons, Grainger Street, Newcastle (9 Apr 2012)

While Newcastle’s BHS prepares for its imminent opening, new departures elsewhere in the city are set to open up other opportunities for incoming retailers.

As flagged in the SkyscraperCity Forums yesterday, the Dutch fashion retailer G-Star Raw is closing its store at the Northumberland Street entrance to Eldon Square: opposite the already-closed La Senza, and across the street from the new BHS. G-Star has traded from that unit since the departure of the short-lived entertainment chain Silverscreen.

G-Star Raw, Newcastle (9 Apr 2012)

While the denim-focused brand clearly has a Superdry-style resonance among certain customer groups, its own-store presence in the UK remains relatively small, with fewer than 20 shops. A year ago, however, the chain was talking of “plans to double its UK retail portfolio from 25 to 50 stores by 2015″, which suggests that there’s been a change in strategy over the last 12 months. Certainly, the widespread stocking of G-Star clothing by other fashion retailers – including many branches of USC and Republic – means that there’s a questionable need for overlapping own-brand stores.

Looking at the Newcastle store specifically, it has perhaps also suffered from being in the wrong place. While the main entrance to Eldon Square sounds like a good location on paper, the set-back position from the street and overhanging signage and canopy mean that a store in either G-Star’s or La Senza’s position has to be quite showy in order to be noticed by passing shoppers. Equally, as the city’s high-end fashion stores start to cluster around Grey’s Monument and the St Andrew’s Way end of Eldon Square, it’s possible that G-Star would fit in better there than in the more populist Northumberland Street.

Thorntons, Grainger Street, Newcastle (9 Apr 2012)

Meanwhile, a location about to become free in one of those burgeoning fashion quarters is the current Thorntons at 146 Grainger Street. The property is advertising its ‘Shop Lease for Sale’ with a board above the shop, which I always think must be strange for staff and customers when a store is otherwise trading normally and showing no signs of closing down.

The move is not entirely surprising, however, given Thorntons’ well-documented plans to trim its store estate and the presence of two other branches in nearby Eldon Square: one that’s relatively new and attractive on the corner of St Andrew’s Way and High Friars, and another in Eldon Way that features a popular café upstairs.

Happily, the 473 sq ft Thorntons site is directly opposite the recently opened Urban Outfitters, while the fashion brands Jaeger, Pretty Green and Calvin Klein Underwear have all opened boutiquey stores nearby in the last year or so. This buzz around the location suggests to me that the Thorntons site may be an easier sell than the G-Star one – even if, at £78,500 a year, the rent isn’t for the faint-hearted.

New BHS, Newcastle (9 Apr 2012)

As I suspected when I blogged last week, the scaffolding around Newcastle’s new BHS has now been taken down ahead of its opening in ten days’ time.

Though there are still some finishing touches to be made to the exterior, the new glass frontage and BHS signage are in place, and Northumberland Street shoppers can finally see what’s been happening since the scaffolding and wrap went up six months ago. Certainly, the refronted building’s appearance now is very different to how it looked in its Next days (below), as well as challenging people’s perceptions of what a BHS store looks like.

...and the same building when it was Next (5 Feb 2010)

Fencing around the site made it difficult to get a good look at what was going on inside, but I was able to spot a woman polishing a clothes rail. Presumably the clothes to hang on it will start appearing in the next few days!

As yet, there are no posters in the windows advertising an opening date, but the planned launch on Thursday 19 April certainly seems more plausible now that the building has been unwrapped and the extent of progress is clear.

New BHS, Newcastle (9 Apr 2012)

I, for one, can’t wait to see whether the quality of the store interior matches the boldness of the frontage. For many years, Newcastle had a typically beige and dreary BHS – of which many examples still remain across the country – and new stores like this one or in Swindon represent an ambitious effort to modernise and reinvent the brand.

However, making nearly 200 UK stores look this good will be a huge undertaking, and the success – or not – of new stores like Newcastle will surely influence the future size and shape of BHS’s presence on the British high street.

Former Woolworths (now Iceland), Monmouth (8 Oct 2011)

On 9 April 1932, Woolworths opened its doors in Monmouth, in Wales. Today – the 80th anniversary – therefore seems like a good time to dig out the photos from when I visited the store at the end of last year.

Opened as store number 464, the building at 24 Agincourt Square is one of those instantly recognisable purpose-built Woolies from the chain’s heyday. Its appearance is very similar, for example, to the Belper store from 1938 (#725, below) that I visited in December 2010, or the Alfreton store (#684, opened 1937) that I photographed a year earlier.

Former Woolworths (now Iceland), Belper (23 Dec 2010)

The Monmouth store saw various changes over the years, including a large side extension (in 1964, I believe), and was also one of the shops that gained a ‘Woolworths Garden Centre’ in the late 1970s. All Woolworths stores had a gardening department with seeds and tools at that time, but the additional ‘Garden Centre’ status seems a rather grandiose label for what the 1984 gardening catalogue calls “a wide range of containerised shrubs and trees”. Like many of Woolworths’ experiments of the ’70s and ’80s, however, the ‘Garden Centre’ concept seems to have been relatively shortlived.

Woolworths gardening catalogue 1984

Following Woolies’ collapse in 2008, the Monmouth store – like Belper – was one of the first batch of sites to be sold, to Iceland, just days after the final Woolworths stores closed their doors. Happily, however, Iceland hasn’t meddled with the superb and apparently original shopfront that Monmouth’s Woolworths managed to retain throughout its lifetime.

Former Woolworths, Monmouth (now Iceland) (8 Oct 2011)

Shopfront detail, former Woolworths (now Iceland), Monmouth (8 Oct 2011)

Featuring lovely curved glazing and some cute flower details around the top of the shop window, this type of shopfront was the norm in Woolworths’ early days, with the bays affording plenty of room for the display of goods. Shopfronts very similar to the Monmouth one can be seen in old photographs of Woolworths stores such as Jarrow and Hawick (below).

Woolworths, Hawick, in 1931. Photograph courtesy of Ettrick Graphics

Unfortunately, most of these original shopfronts – including Hawick’s – were ripped out during 1960s modernisations, when the now equally recognisable combination of grey metal shop window and black granite stall riser was rolled out in its place.

Today, it’s fair to observe that Iceland’s signage in Monmouth lacks what would have been the understated elegance of the original red and gold Woolworths fascia. However, as one of the best surviving combinations of original Woolworths building and shopfront, what remains is a more important part of our country’s retail heritage than many people probably realise.

High Street West, Wallsend (8 Aug 2011)

Over the last few weeks I’ve highlighted some of the North East towns – including Houghton-le-Spring and Alnwick – where Woolworths originally opened in one location only to then relocate its store to a new site in the 1950s or ’60s. In many cases, I’ve only discovered this in the last few weeks, where my recently acquired 1957 Woolworths stores list gives a different address to the one with which we are usually familar!

Heron Foods (former Woolworths), Wallsend (19 Mar 2012)

One such place is Wallsend (store #351), where Heron Foods has been operating from the latterday ex-Woolies site at 2-4 High Street East since November last year. As elsewhere, Heron has retained Woolworths’ distinctive 1960s shopfront, and the side door section (below) - with black granite stall riser, wooden doors and cream tiling – is virtually unchanged from how it would have looked half a century ago.

Former Woolworths side entrance, Wallsend (19 Mar 2012)

I hadn’t realised, however, that Woolworths had only traded from that particular site since 29 January 1959, and that the original Wallsend Woolies – opened on 20 April 1929 – was elsewhere in the town.

Interestingly, the 1957 stores list shows that Woolworths had already acquired the £28,000 freehold of what it calls the “Site at Station Road and High Street” by that time, going on to develop its new purpose-built store there at the same time as trading from its original leased premises up the road.

While three corners of the High Street and Station Road crossroads seem to have hosted rather grand properties – two of which survive today – my impression from looking at old photos (such as the early 1900s view below) is that the Woolworths site was previously occupied only by low-grade single-storey buildings. I suspect that a little more research will be needed to understand why the site was historically so underdeveloped.

Early 1900s postcard view of Wallsend High Street, with later Woolworths site second from left

So, what of Wallsend’s original Woolworths? Well, the 1957 stores list reveals the location to be 73-75 High Street West, which accords with the location of today’s PerfectHome shop.

Original Woolworths (now PerfectHome), Wallsend (19 Mar 2012)

I haven’t yet come across any photographs showing Woolworths in this location, but the age of the present building suggests that it’s the same one that Woolies would have occupied all those years ago. Its survival is quite fortunate, given that all the rest of the stretch between there and Station Road was later demolished to make way for the Forum Shopping Centre.

When I first started photographing ex-Woolies in 2008, the 807-strong store estate seemed like a very ambitious and long-term target. Subsequently, of course, I’ve uncovered more and more locations, like Wallsend, that were vacated many years earlier due to relocation or closure.

My reckoning is that in total there must be over 1,400 former Woolworths locations in the UK, of which I’ve snapped just over 200 – or one in seven – over the last three years. Come back to Soult’s Retail View in 2030, therefore, and you might find I’m mopping up the last few!

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 Newcastle and, indeed, over the water in Gateshead.

Northumberland Street, Newcastle

In Newcastle’s prime retail thoroughfare of Northumberland Street, the ‘nibbled’ corner of the new Primark store (above) has gained some new steelwork since my visit a few weeks ago, ready for the creation of its glazed staircase corner. While the part of the property that used to house BHS has been under wraps for some time, scaffolding now also covers the existing Primark store (below) ahead of the entire block’s refronting.

New Primark, Newcastle (30 Mar 2012)

If The Journal is to be believed, everything should be finished on the new Primark store by October – in good time for the all-important pre-Christmas trading period. Below, if you missed it last time, my diagram gives a sense of quite how huge the new store will be, with four full-size retail floors compared to the one-and-a-half that it has now.

Before-and-after configuration of Primark, Newcastle

Next door, we have just two weeks to wait until BHS (below) opens its doors on 19 April. The store was still encased in scaffolding and wrap at the weekend, but it was just possible to make out some of the new glass façade underneath. It must surely only be a matter of days before we get to see the new frontage in all its glory.

New BHS, Newcastle (30 Mar 2012)

Monument Mall, Newcastle

While the top end of Northumberland Street is gearing up for its exciting new arrivals, Monument Mall at the lower end is starting to resemble the Mary Celeste. Only TK Maxx and a handful of smaller stores now remain in place, with all the mall entrances featuring ‘TK Maxx still open’ posters to assure shoppers that it hasn’t gone yet.

Following the closure of Evans and Wallis in January, The Body Shop and Castle Galleries have both moved out of their Blackett Street-facing units (below) in the last couple of weeks, while the upper levels, which used to house Sports Direct and the Food Court, are also now completely vacated.

Monument Mall's Blackett Street frontage (30 Mar 2012)

Anyone who doesn’t know what’s happening might be alarmed at the sight of all the departures, but, of course, it’s all part of the necessary reshuffling to enable owner Hammerson’s impressive £15m redevelopment of the property, which City Council planners approved at the end of last year.

Artist's impressions of the redeveloped Monument Mall. Source: Hammerson

Hammerson reported in December that “pre-letting is progressing well and over 50% of the floor space will be let or in solicitors hands before construction commences”, though there have been no letting announcements as yet. It’s not entirely clear when work will commence, either, but the fact that Castle Galleries has relocated to temporary premises in Market Street (the old Sharps, Moben & Dolphin unit) ahead of a permanent move to Grey Street later this month suggests that the start may be imminent.

Temporary Castle Galleries, Market Street, Newcastle (30 Mar 2012)

One retailer that will presumably need to relocate before long is indeed TK Maxx, though I’m not aware of any specific information regarding its intentions. Within days of Peacocks closing its three-level Newcastle store (below), I understand that there was interest in the site from another (unnamed) fashion retailer that’s already represented in the city centre.

Given that the property is owned by Hammerson without being part of the Monument Mall redevelopment, is immediately available, and is next to TK Maxx’s existing store, it would be a logical move if TK Maxx were the retailer in question. Indeed, other than the two-storey former New Look unit in Eldon Square’s High Friars, it’s hard to think of any other available premises that would be remotely suitable.

Former Peacocks, Newcastle (23 Feb 2012)

The Co-operative Food, Market Street

Just a few doors up from the temporary Castle Galleries in Market Street, The Co-operative Food has opened its new store in the former Envy unit this week, replacing its now-closed food hall in Newgate Street. The store was being stocked, ahead of opening, when I snapped it a week ago (below).

New The Co-operative Food, Newcastle (30 Mar 2012)

As I blogged in December, Newcastle city centre has seen a proliferation of new supermarkets in the last few years, reflecting the big chains’ moves into convenience stores and a return to high-street locations. Recent arrivals (and I may have missed some) include Waitrose, Londis, two Sainsbury’s and three Tescos, with a fourth on the way if recently announced plans for a Tesco Express in Grainger Street come to fruition.

Having ‘ceased trading’ at its historic Newgate Street site in December, I understand that the Co-op will, in fact, be reopening a smaller store there once the Travelodge-anchored redevelopment of the building is complete. I’m not clear, however, whether this means that the new Market Street store is just a temporary measure or if it will operate alongside the other store in the longer term.

Gateshead town centre

Trinity Square development site, Gateshead (1 Apr 2012)

One place where Tesco definitely will be opening before long is Gateshead town centre, where the Trinity Square scheme is progressing rapidly.

New street at Trinity Square development, Gateshead (15 Mar 2012)

Much of the structure – including steelwork, concrete floors and staircases – seems to be in place, while the smaller shop units along the new ‘street’ linking West Street and High Street have started to gain cladding and are taking shape (above).

New temporary Tesco, Gateshead (1 Apr 2012)

One part of the site that’s yet to be developed is the existing Tesco store, which is still currently trading. However, work on Gateshead’s temporary Tesco Express – in the former Kwik Save and Doggarts premises on the High Street (above) – has been underway for a few weeks, ahead of its opening at 8am on Monday 23 April. The existing store, meanwhile, will close for good at 4pm the day before, paving the way for its demolition and replacement with a much larger Tesco Extra.

New temporary Tesco, Gateshead (1 Apr 2012)

No-one would suggest that Gateshead is the world’s most glamorous town centre, and the fact that much of it is currently a building site barely helps. Nevertheless, I’m always surprised at quite how bustling it usually is, with well-known discount chains such as Wilkinson, Iceland, Argos, Home Bargains and Poundland all seemingly striking a chord with Gateshead’s canny shoppers. The recently opened Wetherspoon’s (below) also seems to be pulling in the punters, bringing a much-needed family-friendly pub-food offer to the centre of Gateshead.

Wetherspoon's, Gateshead (12 Jan 2012)

With a strong existing value proposition, and the promise of many more shops and eateries to come once Trinity Square opens, the recent closure of the town’s Peacocks store (below), right next to Wetherspoon’s, is especially disappointing. With the adjacent Bonmarche also gone, it leaves a big hole in the middle of Reef Estates’ redeveloped former Co-op department store.

Former Peacocks, Gateshead (3 Mar 2012)

Still, with no other well-known fashion chains present in Gateshead town centre (apart from a dreary edge-of-centre Matalan clearance store), there must surely be an opportunity for one of the expanding fashion discounters – such as M&Co or Store Twenty One – to step in and fill the gap. Equally, the site may appeal to one of the fast-growing discount variety stores, such as 99p Stores or Poundworld, both of which are expanding in the North East from a relatively low base.

Alternatively, with scope to knock the Peacocks and Bonmarche units together into one big space, it could be that Gateshead’s claim to host ”Britain’s biggest B&M Bargains” – as envisaged in my post from 1 April last year – finally becomes the stuff of reality rather than fantasy.

Original Woolworths location, Alnwick (31 Mar 2012)

In the same way as Houghton-le-Spring’s Woolworths was originally in a different location to where it ended up, I recently discovered that Alnwick, too, has a long-vacated ex-Woolies site. Having enjoyed my previous visit to the Northumberland market town a couple of years ago, this latest discovery gave me a good excuse to go back.

If you read my January 2010 blog, you’ll recall that Alnwick’s most recent ex-Woolworths premises at 40-42 Bondgate Within were fairly rapidly taken over by M&Co after the chain’s collapse.

Former Woolworths (now M&Co), Alnwick (23 Jan 2010)

Former Woolworths (now M&Co), Alnwick (31 Mar 2012)

One must assume that the store is performing well, given that it’s the first I’ve seen featuring M&Co’s updated fascia: a skinnier version of the logo without a full stop after the ‘o’, on a background that is now black rather than navy. It looks OK, but I’m disappointed that the shopfront has been repainted too, with the white gloss replaced with what looks like – but presumably isn’t – a grey undercoat. Where the white created a visual connection with the paintwork of the upper-floor windows, that sense of harmony has now been lost – rather a shame.

Trading as store number 822 from 26 November 1953, Woolworths was a fairly late arrival in Alnwick; the store down the road in Ashington, for example, had opened nearly thirty years earlier. It must have been popular, however, as just fifteen years later, on 1 February 1968, it moved to larger premises along the road – today’s M&Co.

To find Alnwick’s original Woolworths location, you just have to go a few doors along to a building that I mentioned in passing last time: the rather ugly block that now houses Iceland and the Yorkshire Building Society.

Original Woolworths location, Alnwick (31 Mar 2012)

Pinpointing long-closed Woolies can require a bit of detective work, but happily the company’s 1957 stores list makes things relatively simple here. It records the location as 32 Bondgate Within, which today is the address of the town’s Yorkshire Building Society. To the left, Iceland is badged as 32-34, while the longstanding HSBC branch on the right is 30. So, while I’m yet to find any photographic evidence of Woolworths in this location, it would seem – assuming there’s been no renumbering since – that Woolies sat next to HSBC, roughly where the Yorkshire is today.

From an architectural and townscape point of view, it’s hard to imagine why anyone ever thought the Iceland building was a good idea. While vaguely the right colour to blend in to its beautiful surroundings, it makes few other concessions to Alnwick’s historic character in terms of its scale, detailing or rhythm.

Judging from the current property’s 1970s appearance, my assumption is that Woolworths occupied the building that it must have replaced. A postcard view on the Francis Frith website, reportedly from about 1955, shows the earlier property (with an awning) on the far right next to today’s HSBC, though it’s not possible to make out whether the store was Woolworths at that time.

Old postcard of Bondgate Within pre-Woolworths, c.1906

The property in question is shown more clearly in the c1906 postcard above (third building from the right), which obviously predates all of the UK’s Woolworths stores. Still, it gives us an idea of what the previous building looked like, and highlights – car park, trees and Iceland block aside – quite how little Alnwick’s historic core has changed in the century up to my present-day photo below.

...and the same view of Bondgate Within today (31 Mar 2012)

Having said that, one way in which Alnwick does seem to have changed – even in the last couple of years – is in terms of its town centre’s retail health. Perhaps surprisingly, it’s a change for the better, too.

Alnwick has always had some wonderful independent shops, and the magnificent Barter Books – in the town’s old station – attracts visitors from far and wide with its warm atmosphere and astonishing range of secondhand and antiquarian titles. Though the roaring fires or overhead train set might not work in Waterstones, the chain could certainly learn a thing or two from Barter’s coffee, cookies, copious seating and overall instore buzz.

Barter Books, Alnwick (31 Mar 2012)

However, for all these retail attractions, I did spot some challenges for Alnwick last time I was there. I remarked, for example, upon “the quite large number of empty units” in the town, and also highlighted the gap in the market for “a footfall-driving variety retailer” following Woolworths’ departure.

In contrast, my impression on this latest occasion was of far fewer vacant shops throughout the town centre, with the former Threshers opposite the White Swan Hotel among the prominent units that have now been filled. It is, admittedly, now a Salvation Army charity shop, but it at least has a more pleasing impact on Alnwick’s streetscape than either an empty shop or the garish off licence that used to be there.

Former Threshers, Alnwick (23 Jan 2010)

...and now, as The Salvation Army (31 Mar 2012)

There’s also been progress on the variety retailer front, with the family-owned Wilkinson having signed up for Gentoo’s mixed-use Clayport Street scheme, close to Alnwick’s bus station and Morrisons store, a few months after my last visit.

Wilkinson, Alnwick (31 Mar 2012)

Trading since August last year, the 12,000 sq ft shop is relatively compact by Wilkinson’s present-day standards, but the bright and clean interior – now rolled out across much of Wilko’s 360-strong estate – ensures that the store is uncluttered and easy to navigate, despite being well stocked. Next door, the only other occupied unit in the scheme is filled by the increasingly ubiquitous discount fashion brand Store Twenty One.

Store Twenty One, Alnwick (31 Mar 2012)

Before Gentoo’s development it would have been impossible for Wilkinson to open in Alnwick, as the town’s historic core has traditionally meant that large-footprint units were few and far between. Now, however, Wilkinson’s arrival with a product mix of homewares, toiletries, DIY, toys, stationery and gardening – as well as a growing focus on grocery – ensures that it goes a long way in filling the hole left by Woolworths’ demise.

Indeed, nearly sixty years on from Woolworths’ first presence in Alnwick, it seems that Wilkinson – with its appealing stores, eclectic ranging, keen prices and traditional values – is increasingly growing into the shop that the latterday Woolies ought to have been.

Artist's impression of new Cramlington Poundworld store. Image courtesy of Poundworld

Hot on the heels of its new Express store in Redcar, which launched last month, the discount variety chain Poundworld is set to open another new store in Cramlington this Friday (6 April).

Poundworld already trades from a shop inside the Manor Walks shopping centre, but the new arrival is an additional store that will operate from the nearby Westmorland Retail Park. I’m not especially familiar with Cramlington, but the store’s address – Unit 2 – suggests that it is taking over the retail park’s Storey Carpets premises.

Both the mall and retail park at Cramlington – which, typically for a post-war new town, basically are the town centre – have been owned since 2006 by Hammerson, the retail asset management company that acquired Newcastle’s Monument Mall last year. Just as its planned redevelopment of Monument Mall will see major improvements to the lettable retail space, Hammerson has also been proactive in managing Cramlington assets, where M&S Simply Food and a Vue cinema are both set to open in the next 18 months.

Poundworld and Discount UK store, Swindon (2 Mar 2012). Photograph by Lee Sartin

Interestingly, the new 10,000 sq ft Cramlington Poundworld will, like the Swindon store that I blogged about in February, be the fourth dual-fascia store with Discount UK, the group’s multi-price brand that already has standalone branches in both Newcastle’s and Middlesbrough’s former Woolworths units. Though the Cramlington store will be slightly smaller than Swindon’s, the split between the two brands – two thirds Poundworld and one third Discount UK – is the same, as is the size of the product range: 5,000 items priced at £1 in Poundworld, and a further 3,000 items priced below or above a pound in the Discount UK portion.

Discount UK (former Woolworths), Middlesbrough (4 May 2011)

I previously queried the effectiveness of the 2-in-1 fascia treatment at Swindon, arguing that the juxtaposition of the two logos was a little clumsy. At Cramlington, it’s interesting that the artist’s impression of the store exterior – featured at the top of this post – shows even greater prominence being given to the Poundworld brand over that of Discount UK. With the Orpington store having just been converted from a standalone Discount UK to a dual fascia, is this a sign that Poundworld is putting the brakes on its Discount UK expansion?

Apparently not – Poundworld’s PR people tell me that “there are no plans to phase out Discount UK as a standalone brand, and no plans in the pipeline to convert any other existing Discount UKs into dual fascias.” Still, it will be interesting to keep track of how things progress in the coming months, given that the most recent large-footprint stores to open have all been dual-branded rather than Discount UKs alone.

There’s no doubt that the standalone Discount UK stores look much nicer externally – and, indeed, internally – than either Poundworld’s eponymous shops or the new dual-fascia stores. However, in the current straitened times, perhaps we shouldn’t be too surprised that the simple ’Everything £1′ message retains a resonance among shoppers that Poundworld seems keen to keep capitalising on.

Game in Sunderland's High Street West - now closed (13 Mar 2012)

Twenty-one Game and Gamestation shops in the North East are among the 277 stores that have closed immediately following Game Group’s collapse into administration this morning.

While the administrator, PwC, seems reasonably optimistic about selling a slimmed-down Game of 333 shops to one of “a number of parties who have expressed an interest in purchasing part or all of the business and assets of the group”, that’s of little consolation to the 2,104 people who will be made redundant from the stores already closed down.

CEO Ian Shepherd, who resigned once the business fell into administration today, summed it up when he tweeted this evening that “it breaks my heart to see a business made up of such magnificent people come to this.” Seemingly referring to the reported reluctance of Game’s lenders – including state-owned RBS – to support an earlier rescue deal, he also added that “I think we should have been able to avoid it.”

Game in South Shields - now closed (18 Jun 2010)

As far as the impact on the North East’s high streets are concerned, some of the stores closed today – such as Durham’s Prince Bishops and Jarrow’s Viking Precinct – are in good locations with low retail vacancy rates, and shouldn’t struggle too much to attract new occupants. In other cases, however, the closures heap extra pressure on retail centres that are already having to work hard to stay afloat, some of which – such as Peterlee – have already lost their Peacocks store just a month ago.

So, what has led to the collapse of a retailer that was still able to make a handsome pre-tax profit of £119m just three years ago?

Part of it, certainly, is the same movement towards downloadable media and online streaming that has presented challenges for HMV. If I’m using my PS3, there’s clearly an appeal in being able to immediately download a game without even having to move from the sofa. Similarly, like HMV, it can be dangerous to be almost entirely reliant on the vagaries of someone else’s product: thriving if there are popular new releases of games or consoles, but relatively powerless if nothing very exciting is being released.

Gamestation, Stockton - now closed (22 Nov 2010)

Game has clearly also created some of its own challenges. With over 600 shops – more than twice the size of HMV – the estate was clearly too large, with the acquisition of Gamestation, in 2007, resulting in too many overlapping stores. You have to question, for example, whether Newcastle city centre really needed four stores in a small area – three of which have now closed – or the logic of Stockton having shops in both Wellington Square (Game) and around the corner in the High Street (Gamestation).

For a retailer dedicated to entertainment, too many of the stores also seemed to be dreary and unwelcoming, with frontages that you could easily walk past without noticing. My impression is that Game also managed to sanitise some of the quirkiness and small-chain appeal that people used to most like about Gamestation.

Grainger Games, Durham (16 Nov 2011)

That’s not to say that there isn’t a place for a high-street games retailer. Newcastle-based Grainger Games, for example – barely a tenth of Game’s size, with around 65 often-compact stores – appears to be doing well, seemingly striking a chord with its bold personality (not everyone’s cup of tea, mind you), its particular strength in pre-owned games, and its presence across both bricks and clicks. Perhaps it’s no coincidence that Grainger Games has shops in every one of those North East retail centres from which Game has made an exit today?

For all that downloads and online stores are changing the entertainment retail landscape, it’s clear that many gamers do still value a place on the high street where they can not only experience the product but also feel part of a wider gaming community. If it’s to survive, the slimmed-down Game needs to be less reliant on the new release schedule and more in charge of its own destiny: bringing a bit of pizzazz and theatre back to its stores, being brilliant at harnessing the opportunities of multichannel, and – above all – giving shoppers a compelling reason to put down their consoles and visit in person.

The list of closed Game and Gamestation stores in the North East (taken from Retail Week’s full list) is:

• Ashington: 12 Station Road
• Bishop Auckland: 59 Newgate Street
• Cramlington: 4 Dudley Court
• Durham: Unit SU40, Land Of The Prince Bishops Shopping Centre
• Hartlepool: 92 Middleton Grange Shopping Centre
• Jarrow: 25 Viking Precinct
• Metrocentre: Unit 112, Lower Blue Mall
• Middlesbrough: 108 Linthorpe Road
• Newcastle: 8 High Friars, Eldon Square
• Newcastle: Fenwicks Concession
• Newcastle: 78 Grainger Street
• North Shields: Comet
• Peterlee: 21 Yoden Way
• Redcar: Unit 8, Regent Centre
• South Shields: 89/91 King Street
• Stockton-on-Tees: Unit SU32, Wellington Square
• Stockton-on-Tees: 134B High Street
• Sunderland: 251 High Street West
• Sunderland: 27 Blandford Street
• Washington: 30 Albany Mall, The Galleries
• Washington: 26 Albany Mall, The Galleries.

Sign at Poundstretcher in Ashington (21 Mar 2012)

Poundstretcher, the discount variety store chain, has reopened the UGO stores that it acquired last month – and has seemingly unveiled a new logo at the same time.

I was in Ashington yesterday, and paid a visit to the ex-UGO Poundstretcher store that adjoins the town’s bus station. Apparently opened on Friday last week, the new store’s signage (above) retains elements of the previous logo (two variants of which, in Didcot and nearby Blyth, are shown below), including a similar font, and white italicised text in lower case.

Poundstretcher, Blyth (21 Mar 2012)

Poundstretcher (former Alworths), Didcot (11 Nov 2011)

However, the new visual identity replaces the previously gradated red-orange-yellow background with a solid red one, and adds black shadowing to the letters. The name is also on a single line, rather than split over the usual two; and the ‘£’ symbol is now redrawn in black with a white border on an orange field.

Poundstretcher, Ashington (21 March 2012)

Poundstretcher has a reputation for having had a rather chaotic visual identity over the years, including its brief dalliance with rebranding itself as Instore. A Google Image Search for ‘Poundstretcher logo’, for example, brings up seven different logo and slogan combinations within just the first page. The frustrating thing is that the new fascia is probably the boldest and freshest of the lot, but unless it’s going to be rolled out swiftly across the retailer’s website and 400-strong store estate, it seems a pity to be reintroducing inconsistency just at the point where nearly all stores have been updated – finally – to the previous look.

Poundstretcher logos from Google Image Search

Inside, the bold red colour scheme is carried through into the navigational signage, which is needed given the tunnel-like aisles created by the high shelves thoughout. Overall, however, the store is fine, and what you would expect from Poundstretcher in terms of the product range: a shop packed to the rafters with useful stuff, but, apart from an instore bakery concession, no apparent attempt to take UGO’s place by offering a wider-than-usual grocery range.

As you might hope given that the shop is less than a week old, it was also much more clean and orderly than most Poundstretchers that you come across. It will be interesting to visit in a month or two’s time to see whether those standards – which were always high under UGO’s ownership – are being maintained. Based on yesterday, Poundstretcher will at least have the benefit of more customers than UGO to clean up after.

BHS fascia

Newcastle’s new BHS store in Northumberland Street will open on 19 April, I can reveal.

Work on site has been going on since last summer, as BHS transforms the former Next premises into a four-storey flagship store. As reported previously, the shop is expected to include menswear in the basement, womenswear on the ground floor, lingerie on the first floor, and the BHS Café on the second floor, with stockroom space on the level above. Homeware and childrenswear will also feature, though there’s no confirmation yet that the store will include a concession for Evans – part of the same Arcadia Group as BHS – following the closure of Newcastle’s standalone Evans store, in Monument Mall, back in January.

New BHS, Newcastle (5 Mar 2012)

When I walked past the BHS site on Sunday (18 March), it looked much as it did in my photo (above) from a fortnight earlier, with all the work obscured behind scaffolding. However, Arcadia’s confirmation of an April opening date suggests that the scaffolding and wrap will be coming down, as planned, before the end of March.

New BHS, Newcastle (5 Mar 2012)

Once thing’s for sure, shoppers who have walked past the building site without paying much attention will certainly be in for a shock once the shiny new frontage is finally unwrapped in the coming days.