Metro Outlet takes over Middlesbrough’s TJ Hughes site, but ex-TJ’s elsewhere remain empty
Middlesbrough had some retail good news on Saturday, as a new store opened its doors in the town’s former TJ Hughes premises – following on...
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Soult’s Retail Loo: Darlington House of Fraser spruces up its facilities
It’s not one of my most well-read posts, but some of you may remember my blog from last March about the disappointing state of the toilet facilities...
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Interview: Isabel Macdonald, Branch Manager, John Lewis at Home Tamworth
Tamworth’s new John Lewis at Home opened its doors on Wednesday (12 October), eight months after I broke the news of its impending arrival. The 42,000 sq ft...
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As Stratford City opens, I check out John Lewis’s answers to the lack of other new schemes
As the vast Westfield Stratford City opens its doors today, it’s little wonder that most of Twitter’s retail commentators seem to have decamped to east London. With...
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Newcastle’s TJ Hughes is saved – but Middlesbrough’s is to close within days
There was good news for Newcastle city centre earlier this week, with the announcement that the TJ Hughes store in Grainger Street had been sold,...
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How to loos customers – and send your brand image down the pan
Apologies for the Richard Whiteley-style headline and the rather gruesome photograph, but if Mary Portas was looking for another retail-related programme idea she could do worse...
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Is John Lewis coming to Tamworth?
No, don’t choke on your cornflakes… that’s a serious question. My interest was piqued last month when the Tamworth Herald ran a story under the...
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Putting today’s John Lewis sales drop in perspective
Given how long it’s been since the weekly trading figures for John Lewis department stores last recorded a year-on-year fall in sales, it’s little wonder that...
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Familiar discount names in Staffordshire’s former Woolies stores
The more former Woolworths stores I blog about, the more predictable it gets that I’ll be mentioning now-familiar discount names such as B&M Bargains, Home...
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Lewis’s Grotto brings festive cheer to Liverpool
With the collapse of Lewis’s and Robbs owner Vergo Retail being one of the year’s major stories at Soult’s Retail View, it seems fitting to mark...
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Horley’s old Woolies – long closed, but hard to miss
During the summer, I’ve built up a veritable stack of photos of old Woolworths stores, from all kinds of places across the UK – not...
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Boyes takes over Bishop Auckland’s old Woolies – could more follow?
When I blogged about the remaining vacant Woolies stores in the North East a few days ago, I’d failed to spot that yet another is...
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Robbs transformation is un-Beale-ievable
Less than three months after acquiring Robbs of Hexham, indie department store operator Beales has wasted no time at all in sprucing up the store...
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Christmas comes early again at Selfridges
Today’s BBC News story about Selfridges’ imminent opening of its Christmas shop made me wonder whether I should just dust off and recycle my blog post...
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Wallis to open concession in Robbs of Hexham
Delivering on its promise to bring quality concessions to its recently acquired Robbs of Hexham store, it seems that Beales has already signed up the Arcadia-owned...
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New book examines the architectural history of Scotland’s shops
One of the nice things about running my own architecture subject gateway, Sapling.info, is that I get the opportunity to read about plenty of interesting buildings and places. Earlier...
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Robbs is saved – so what happens now?
With just over a week now passed since Beales’ takeover of Robbs of Hexham was confirmed, details of what the welcome change of ownership might mean for the historic 192-year-old store...
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Confirmed – Beales buys Robbs of Hexham
Just announced this morning – independent department store operator Beales has acquired Robbs of Hexham from MCR, the administrator of Vergo Retail, for £250,000. Sarah...
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Beales pursues Robbs takeover, while The Range owner eyes other stores
As the uncertainty over the future of the Vergo Retail store empire continues, potential suitors for some of the stores are starting to emerge. Here...
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Newcastle Debenhams scores on customer service
Though I’d had a wander around several times before, today was the first occasion that I’d actually bought something from Newcastle’s recently opened Debenhams store....
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