{"id":22580,"date":"2019-05-07T16:03:49","date_gmt":"2019-05-07T15:03:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ihbconline.co.uk\/newsachive\/?p=22580"},"modified":"2019-05-06T16:19:55","modified_gmt":"2019-05-06T15:19:55","slug":"debenhams-closures-four-ways-to-use-the-empty-stores","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/?p=22580","title":{"rendered":"Debenhams closures: Four ways to use the empty stores"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"website\"<\/a>As Debenhams has named 22 of the 50 stores it plans to close as part of a plan by new owners to revive the department store chain, the BBC reflects on what will \u2013 or might \u2013 happen to all that empty retail space?<\/h3>\n

<\/p>\n

The BBC writes:<\/p>\n

In total, 235 former department stores currently stand empty across the UK\u2026 according to the Local Data Company.<\/p>\n

That is up from 82 in 2014.<\/p>\n

However, some former shops are finding inventive ways to reuse redundant space, offering potential inspiration for any Debenhams stores that struggle\u2026.<\/p>\n

We look at four ways former retail buildings are being given a new lease of life.<\/p>\n

1. Become an office\/ community hub
\n<\/strong>Havens department store in Southend-on-Sea opened in 1901, but as far back as the late 1990s its owners could see footfall was declining.<\/p>\n

\u2018We are 10,000 square feet, built as a department store but that’s an anachronism today,\u2019 says Nigel Havens. \u2018We had to make better use of the freehold…\u2019<\/p>\n

In 2017 he took action, closing the department store and moving the homeware-and-gifts business online, and running the operation from the top floor of the Grade II listed shop.<\/p>\n

He then rented out the first and second floors to charity Age Concern Southend, which is using it for a community hub.<\/p>\n

Elderly people can now drop in for tea and cake\u2026<\/p>\n

And the charity plans to bring in businesses and services aimed at older people, including a hairdressers\u2026<\/p>\n

He says the move has kept his firm \u2018on a good footing\u2019, and while the Havens’ building no longer serves High Street shoppers, people can still click and collect.<\/p>\n

2. Create a launchpad for new businesses
\n<\/strong>Stockton upon Tees is in the midst of a big plan to revitalise its town centre, and one scheme has involved converting a former department store into a \u2018start-up incubator\u2019.<\/p>\n

Backed by the local council, the \u2018Fountain Shopping Mall – Home of the Enterprise Arcade\u2019 rents spaces to independent businesses at low rates and doesn’t charge them business rates. Its 16 tenants range from independent jewellers to cafes.<\/p>\n

Bill Grimsey, a former chief executive of Wickes and Iceland, thinks the scheme is a great way to let people try out business ideas without having to \u2018take out big loans\u2019.<\/p>\n

A number of businesses formerly at the Arcade have also migrated to bigger premises\u2026<\/p>\n

Mr Grimsey, who has led two government reviews on regenerating the High Street, notes how Stockton has also opened two new theatres and launched a programme of events to revamp the town…<\/p>\n

\u2018You can no longer rely on retailing to be the anchor for your town,\u2019 he says. \u2018The key is creating an experience \u2026\u2019<\/p>\n

3. Use empty retail space for cultural activities
\n<\/strong>Dan Thompson runs the Empty Shops Network, a consultancy that helps artists and performers reuse redundant spaces.<\/p>\n

Over the last 10 years he’s seen empty retail units turned into theatre spaces, pop-up museums\u2026.<\/p>\n

While these sort of activities don’t offer a long term solution for disused shops\u2026 they do help landlords market buildings….<\/p>\n

\u2018We took a former Allied Carpets showroom in Worthing, put in a bunch of projects over a few months, including a vintage market, bumper cars during half term, and an exhibition by the local art college\u2026\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018Someone came along and fell in love with the space and decided to buy it and turn it into offices for his software company.\u2019<\/p>\n

Mr Thompson says the new office, which employs 150, has also boosted demand at local shops and cafes.<\/p>\n

4. Turned into shops, housing or eateries
\n<\/strong>According to the Local Data Company, some former department stores will be snapped up by other retailers if they’re in the right location.<\/p>\n

In 2018, for example eight BHS stores became B&M Bargains, six went to Primark, four went to H&M and five went to Poundland, with Wilco and Next also acquiring sites.<\/p>\n

Ronald Nyakairu, a senior insight analyst at LDC, says some stores have been turned into housing…<\/p>\n

\u2018A lot of these stores are in quite prominent High Streets, with the highest footfall and central locations, and people increasingly want to live in these places.\u2019<\/p>\n

Former department stores are also being turned into leisure facilities that are more likely to draw people into town and city centres.<\/p>\n

Former BHS stores have become gyms, hotels and restaurants, while crazy golf operator Swingers moved into the first floor of the former BHS flagship store on London’s Oxford Street.<\/p>\n

In another example, drinks giant Diageo hopes to secure planning permission to build a Johnnie Walker \u2018visitor experience\u2019 at the former House of Fraser building in Edinburgh’s Princes Street.<\/p>\n

Read more….<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As Debenhams has named 22 of the 50 stores it plans to close as part of a plan by new owners to revive the department store chain, the BBC reflects on what will \u2013 or might \u2013 happen to all … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22580","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sector-newsblog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22580","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=22580"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22580\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22582,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22580\/revisions\/22582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=22580"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=22580"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=22580"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}