Soult's Retail View

Jack Wills, Exeter (9 Sep 2011)

I understand that self-styled “university outfitter” Jack Wills has agreed terms on the prominent corner unit at Hammerson’s Monument Mall, bringing the brand to Newcastle for the first time.

The unit (pictured below), with frontages to both Blackett Street and Northumberland Street, is the space that Evans and Wallis occupied … Continue Reading

Poster showing Victoria’s Secret at Monument Mall, Newcastle (3 Mar 2013)

Newcastle is set to host one of the UK’s first branches of US lingerie retailer Victoria’s Secret – if new posters around Hammerson’s Monument Mall development are to be believed.

Following the opening of the scheme’s new TK Maxx store last Thursday (28 February), posters featuring updated artist’s impressions of … Continue Reading

New TK Maxx, Northumberland Street, Newcastle (10 Feb 2013)

Getting on for a year since the redevelopment of Monument Mall began, the first reconfigured store within the Hammerson-owned scheme is finally preparing to open its doors.

The development’s anchor retailer – the fashion and homewares chain TK Maxx – whose opening … Continue Reading

Primark, Newcastle (30 Oct 2012)

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

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

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

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

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

… Continue Reading

Development work at Monument Mall (27 Jul 2012)

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

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

Monument Mall, Newcastle (16 Apr 2012)

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

The recent departure of … Continue Reading

New Primark, Newcastle (30 Mar 2012)

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

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, … Continue Reading

Peacocks in Newcastle, which has now closed (22 Jan 2012)

Today’s announcement that Edinburgh Woollen Mill has bought fashion retailer Peacocks out of administration is very good news as far as the 6,000 saved jobs and 395 retained stores are concerned. However, 224 stores … Continue Reading

La Senza closing down in Newcastle (2 Jan 2012)

Since this is my first post of 2012, I must begin by wishing all Soult’s Retail View readers a very Happy New Year! Thank you to everyone who has commented, emailed, tweeted or visited during 2011, and I hope you will find many more posts to spark your interest during 2012.

As we enter 2012, the retail picture … Continue Reading

No missing the fact that Peacocks is coming... (20 May 2010)

The opening of St Andrew’s Way back in February – and Hollister, belatedly, in April – may have been this year’s biggest retail events in … Continue Reading

Peacocks logo

Peacocks has submitted a planning application for new signage at the former Zavvi site in Newcastle’s Northumberland Street, confirming recent rumours that the fashion retailer was being lined up to occupy the 17,000 sq ft store.

Published today, the application (2010/0159/01/ADV) is for the “display of internally illuminated fascia sign, internally illuminated projecting sign and non illuminated banner sign to Northumberland Street elevation and black vinyl graphic to … Continue Reading

Monument Mall… in Lichfield

It’s always fun to find links between my current home of Tyneside and my previous one of Staffordshire – Tamworth playing Gateshead in the Blue Square Premier, for example – but the latest link is the most bizarre yet.

You may remember that, back in August, I remarked upon the outdated website for Newcastle’s Monument Mall shopping centre, … Continue Reading

Clas Ohlson's existing Croydon store

Happy New Year to you! You may recall that back in August last year (referring to 2009 as ‘last year’ is bound to take some getting used to) I blogged about the latest Scandinavian arrival to these shores, the self-styled “really useful shop” Clas Ohlson.

Back then, the retailer had already opened stores in Croydon (1,900 sqm / 20,451 sq … Continue Reading

Newcastle's Zavvi store in happier times. Photograph by Mankind 2k

When I remarked a couple of weeks ago that Newcastle’s “Monument Mall would surely welcome the arrival of a strong anchor store” following the closure of Zavvi, a potential new branch of Barclays Bank was not exactly what I had envisaged.

Today’s Journal reports that “some … Continue Reading

Clas Ohlson sign

With so many old Woolworths sites being taken over by familiar high street names and pound shops, it’s nice when the new arrival is something a little more interesting. So I was pleased to read that the Swedish “modern hardware brand” Clas Ohlson is going to be opening up in the former Woolies in Kingston upon Thames, and is also … Continue Reading