* You are viewing Posts Tagged ‘Hartlepool’

“The power of digital is the biggest opportunity”: Retailer Q&A with Hartlepool-based Bedtrader

Graham Soult June 06, 2013 Online, Retailer Q&A, Social Media No Comments

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Bedtrader on Twitter (6 Jun 2013). Photograph by Graham Soult

Bedtrader on Twitter (6 Jun 2013)

Though my consumer directory business, CannySites.com, showcases home, garden and holiday retailers from across the UK, I’m always particularly pleased when I get to work with successful businesses based here in the North East.

One of the features of online retail, of course, is that it’s easy to deal with a company without even knowing where it’s physically based – and that was … Continue Reading

Twenty-one North East stores close immediately as Game collapses

Graham Soult March 26, 2012 Financial, Online, Property, Specialist Retailers 1 Comment

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Game in Sunderland's High Street West - now closed (13 Mar 2012). Photograph by Graham Soult

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, … Continue Reading

How Poundstretcher can learn a thing or two from its acquired UGO stores

Graham Soult February 19, 2012 Brands, Property, Retail Parks, Supermarkets, Variety Stores, Woolworths 8 Comments

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Poundstretcher and UGO, Nuneaton (7 Feb 2012). Photograph by Graham Soult

Poundstretcher and UGO, Nuneaton (7 Feb 2012)

After I first revealed that UGO, the fledgling supermarket chain, was set to be sold, there was understandably plenty of speculation about who the buyer was. Now that we know it’s the expanding variety retailer Poundstretcher, what exactly can we make of the … Continue Reading

Breaking news: Well-known chain set to snap up UGO stores and staff

Graham Soult February 01, 2012 Supermarkets 3 Comments

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UGO store, Eston (4 May 2011). Photograph by Graham Soult

UGO store, Eston (4 May 2011)

The 20-strong chain of UGO supermarkets is to be snapped up by “a well-known and established brand name”, I understand.

Subject to legals being completed within the next couple of days, all the stores traded by UGO Stores Limited will transfer into the ownership of a new – and as yet unnamed – operator. All store staff will transfer under TUPE to the … Continue Reading

A new UGO tour: positive signs as I go supermarket spotting in Barnsley and Hull

Graham Soult November 01, 2011 Brands, Interiors, Marketing, Supermarkets, Supply Chain 9 Comments

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Signage at UGO Lundwood (11 Oct 2011). Photograph by Graham Soult

Signage at UGO Lundwood (11 Oct 2011)

The emergence of UGO as Britain’s newest discount supermarket chain has been one of the most interesting retail launches of 2011 so far.

Back in January, I reported on Asda’s OFT-instigated divestment of 47 Netto stores, and the news that Haldanes would be … Continue Reading

Swindon’s BHS provides a taster of what Newcastle and Hartlepool can expect

Graham Soult September 15, 2011 Brands, Fashion Stores, Property 4 Comments

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New BHS, Swindon (11 Sep 2011). Photograph by Graham Soult

New BHS, Swindon (11 Sep 2011)

While visiting Swindon’s out-of-town John Lewis at Home, I also managed to spent some time exploring the town centre.

The open-air Parade shopping centre has the distinction of hosting one of the UK’s few (as … Continue Reading

24,000 sq ft BHS to fill Hartlepool’s ex-Woolies site

Graham Soult May 09, 2011 Fashion Stores, Property, Retail History, Shopping Centres, Woolworths 7 Comments

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Queen's Parade frontage of former Woolworths, Hartlepool (4 May 2011). Photograph by Graham Soult

Queen's Parade frontage of former Woolworths, Hartlepool (4 May 2011)

As I briefly noted last week, Middlesbrough’s ex-Woolworths store isn’t the only one on Teesside to have recently found a new occupant. At the end of March, it was reported that Hartlepool’s … Continue Reading

Will UGO back? Checking out Britain’s newest supermarket chain

Graham Soult May 08, 2011 Advertising, Brands, Customer Service, Independent Stores, Marketing, Supermarkets 21 Comments

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Signage at UGO store, Eston (4 May 2011). Photograph by Graham Soult

Signage at UGO store, Eston (4 May 2011)

Since first meeting them at the UGO launch press conference back in January, it’s been a pleasure to develop a really good relationship with the key people at both the … Continue Reading

Asda’s sale of surplus Netto stores: who gets what in the North East

Graham Soult January 13, 2011 Supermarkets 74 Comments

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Netto store in Gateshead. Photograph by Graham Soult

Netto store in Gateshead

As I blogged earlier, Asda’s acquisition of Netto’s UK business moved a step closer yesterday, with the news that it has reached agreement to sell most of those Netto stores that overlap with existing Asda sites.

Back in May, when Dansk Supermarked A/S … Continue Reading

Why does Stockton have so many empty shops? BBC1 tonight at 7.30 might have some answers…

Graham Soult December 06, 2010 Personal, Property, Regeneration, Shopping Centres 8 Comments

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Graham filming with the BBC's Chris Jackson in Stockton High Street

Graham filming with the BBC's Chris Jackson in Stockton High Street

Those of you in the North East and Cumbria (or anywhere else with access to Freesat), may be interested in watching BBC1 at 7.30 pm tonight (Monday 6 December)! [UPDATE: The programme is now available to watch on iPlayer.]

The … Continue Reading

Hartlepool and Middlesbrough’s still-vacant Woolies sites

Graham Soult November 17, 2010 Property, Retail History, Shopping Centres, Woolworths 6 Comments

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British Heart Foundation store, Hartlepool (16 Nov 2010). Photograph by Graham Soult

British Heart Foundation store, Hartlepool (16 Nov 2010)

While visiting Billingham yesterday, I also managed to fit in stops in Hartlepool and Middlesbrough. In Hartlepool, there is no sign of the large empty Woolies site in Middleton Grange’s Central Square (store #322) – previously photographed here – being reoccupied. … Continue Reading

How many former Woolworths can Graham visit in one day?

Graham Soult September 18, 2009 Property, Woolworths 15 Comments

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How about SIX?

Former Woolworths, Redcar

Former Woolworths, Redcar (17 Sep 2009)

Stop one is High Street in Redcar, where the former Woolworths store has recently become a branch of the Yorkshire Trading Company. As always seems to be the case with old Woolies stores, it still looks and feels much like a Woolworths inside, and appears to sell a similar range of goods – homewares, gardening products, confectionery, and the like. However, when I visited there … Continue Reading