Former Woolworths, South Shields (8 Aug 2011)

The Indian-owned value fashion retailer, Store Twenty One, is to add a fourth North East ex-Woolies site to its estate, taking over the empty portion of the former Woolworths store in South Shields.

Poundland has occupied part of the ex-Woolies building in King Street since late 2009, but the other half has remained stubbornly ‘to let’ for the last couple of years.

Store Twenty One, Jarrow (24 Jul 2010)

The rumour of Store Twenty One’s impending arrival was reported in the Shields Gazette three weeks ago, but I understand that the retailer has since completed on the deal. The South Shields store will be Store Twenty One’s second ex-Woolies site in South Tyneside, following on from the opening of its Jarrow shop in July last year. There are also Store Twenty One branches in place of the former Woolworths stores in Stanley and Houghton-le-Spring, as well as another within a historic Woolworths building in Redcar.

Mothercare, South Shields (8 Aug 2011)

Though not the Primark that had been rumoured back in 2009 – which always seemed implausible, given the relatively compact size of the unit – Store Twenty One’s arrival will be a welcome boost to a street that has more than its fair share of voids, many the result of national retail collapses (such as Adams and MK One) or store rationalisations (a recently closed Currys.digital). And with South Shields home to one of the dwindling number of high-street Mothercare stores – many of which are being closed – it would be a surprise if further departures don’t follow.

Henry Boot's Waterloo Square retail scheme in South Shields (24 Jul 2010)

On the other hand, South Shields still has many positives as a retail centre. The modern Waterloo Square scheme remains strong, having attracted Next, Desire by Debenhams, BHS and River Island into South Shields for the first time five years ago. The development provides the large, spacious units that those major chains require, while maintaining a strong pedestrian link with the nearby King Street.

Wilkinson, South Shields (8 Aug 2011)

Meanwhile, King Street is bookended by two important anchors. The hardware and variety store retailer Wilkinson has recently refurbished its large and popular store in the Market Place, while Morrisons taking over the vacated Asda premises last year has given a much-needed boost to the town centre’s eastern end.

King Street, South Shields (30 Apr 2011)

Indeed, where South Shields most needs work is in the very heart of its town centre, along the main thoroughfare of King Street. Though the street itself is quite handsome, and has – crucially – hung on to its Marks & Spencer store, the prominence of empty units, coupled with a mish mash of poor quality shopfronts and signage, conveys an overall air of tattiness and underinvestment.

Redcar High Street (4 May 2011)

Down the coast on Teesside, Redcar’s town centre is not without its challenges either. However, everywhere you look in Redcar there are signs of things happening, whether it’s the local authority’s investment in marketing the town (under the ‘This is Redcar’ tagline), the opening of a tourist information centre on the high street, the presence of lively street entertainment, or the widespread use of ‘virtual shops’ to successfully mitigate the negative visual impact of empty units. In challenging economic times, positive measures such as these can play an important role in stemming the perception of a town being in decline.

Perhaps it’s time for South Shields to take a look at what other seaside towns are doing to lift their spirits, with a view to bringing some added colour, theatre and optimism to its own high street.

Entrance to Green Market, Newcastle

Since I broke the story, in January, official confirmation of the closure of Newcastle’s Green Market at High Friars has been rather slow in coming. Even back then, I argued that “the lack of any coverage – or perhaps even awareness – of what appears to be the current Green Market’s impending closure is surprising.” 

As I wrote a couple of weeks ago, however, notices on Newcastle City Council letterheads, posted around the market, are now confirming that it will close on 31 January 2011, and the story has been picked up today by both BBC News and the Evening Chronicle. 

Though the market has only operated from its current site for the last three years, there has been, as the Chronicle notes, a Greenmarket in Newcastle for the past four centuries. While the current incarnation at High Friars may be a rather sad, mostly empty version compared to its predecessors, its demise will signal the end of one of Newcastle’s most long-established retail ‘brands’. 

Interestingly, the BBC article remarks that “the departure of the market will make way for a fashion retailer”, though it’s unclear from where this information has been sourced. However, it echoes my earlier observation of a new tenant being “secured” for the three-storey retail unit that will replace the Green Market, and does nothing to dispel the still-persistent rumours of Urban Outfitters being the retailer in question.

Expected entrance for new fashion store from Grainger Street

Spare a thought, however, for the few tenants that are still trading in the Green Market, and who now face the further upheaval – if they have the energy and inclination – of moving into the Grainger Market. 

When the current, 15-unit site was launched in 2007, following a £1m refurbishment, it was heralded as being “fresh”, “new” and “modern”, with “a prime location… right next to MK One and New Look”, but with every intention that a new, permanent Greenmarket would be built as part of the St Andrew’s Way extension. 

With those plans subsequently abandoned, and the ‘temporary’ Green Market too small and isolated to really take off – especially since New Look’s departure for the Eldon Square extension – the Green Market at High Friars was always likely to struggle as a longer-term enterprise.

Interestingly, the fact that the new ‘fashion retailer’ will be accessed from Grainger Street (with access from Eldon Square itself due to be blocked up) is only likely to compound the problems facing the shopping centre’s High Friars section. A mall leading only to the toilets, a branch of Internaçionale (in the former MK One unit) and the escalator down to Nelson Street is hardly going to draw the crowds.

Nelson Street, with the Green Market access on the left (17 Jun 2010)

Securing a really strong anchor to reoccupy the large, two-storey former New Look unit will therefore be crucial. To encourage flow around that end of the shopping centre, it will be much better to have one retailer occupying both levels, preferably also with a reopened direct entrance on to Nelson Street, as was the case when the site housed WHSmith.

It may even be worth trying to carve out a larger unit from the old New Look, the current Internaçionale, and the mall in between, to create a sizable, modern unit that may appeal to a retailer such as Clas Ohlson – already represented in Capital Shopping Centres’ malls at Watford and Manchester – or Zara.

High Friars entrance to Eldon Square (22 Jan 2010)

Ultimately, however, full redevelopment of the Sidgate and High Friars end of Eldon Square – preferably including reinstatement of the historic link between Clayton Street and Old Eldon Square, and a livelier frontage to Blackett Street – may be the radical solution that’s needed.

Ethel Austin, Bishop Auckland

Reports that value fashion retailer Ethel Austin and its sister homewares business, Au Naturale, are poised to enter administration – less than two years after both chains were rescued from previous administrations - is sad and disappointing news, as well as being quite surprising in its timing. 

True, there has been talk of an impending refinancing deal for a week or two, following suppliers’ alleged complaints about not having received payments that were due before Christmas. However, the retailer had reportedly “vehemently denied that it was in trouble”, and has recently been opening stores at quite a pace – 30 to 40 in the last few months, according to the Independent. 

Indeed, as recently as last week Ethel Austin was announcing new store openings, its planned move into the former Woolworths premises in Carmarthen following its acquisition of more than 20 other Woolies sites nationwide over the last twelve months, such as Huddersfield, Fishponds in Bristol, Stone in Staffordshire, and Leven in Fife. 

Ethel Austin store, Byker

I can’t recall ever entering an Ethel Austin store, so it’s difficult for me to comment on what might have gone wrong, though it’s fair to say that many of the more established shops that I have spotted – in places such as Byker or Seaham – haven’t occupied great locations. I’ve always quite liked Au Naturale though, and was disappointed to hear only this week that its Washington Galleries store was closing down. Its stock is largely cheap and cheerful, but it’s always been a good place to go for reasonably priced, decent quality home accessories such as cushions, baskets, vases and coasters. 

Hopefully, whatever fate awaits Ethel Austin and Au Naturale, the future of as many stores and jobs as possible can be secured. However, as with childrenswear retailer Adams – currently in administration for the third time in three years – you do have to question how far a business that has repeatedly collapsed into administration is really worth saving. It suggests, surely, that something is fundamentally awry with the business model or brand. 

Indeed, think about those retailers that have been rescued from administration in recent years, and it’s much easier to bring to mind those that have later collapsed again – such as MK One, MFI and, only this week, jewellery retailer Diamonds & Pearls – than it is to think of any chain that has truly gone on to thrive. Little wonder, perhaps, when retailers are so often bought out of administration – in a pre-pack or otherwise – by the same individuals who took them into administration in the first place.