SkyscraperCity Forum banner

LEICESTER | Retail, Eateries etc

973K views 8K replies 129 participants last post by  Strstford14 
#1 · (Edited)
I've started this thread in order to discuss anything and everything to do with retail within Leicester city centre. Although there is the Highcross thread, this thread is more concerned with the other parts of the city centre aswell.


I'll start of with a brief round-up of recent/almost old developments with regards to retail:

Haymarket Centre:
-Peacocks (slightly more upmarket than nearby Primark) is soon to open on the site of Woolies.
-Can't remember its name but a new ink cartridges, etc store has recently opened there?

Former Littlewoods site:
-Halifax will be opening a new branch there
-Clarkes have refurbished their store
-Deichmann shoes to open there soon.
-Is Soccer World relocating to there from Haymarket Towers?

Haymarket/Belgrave Gate:
-Many shops seems to have, not surprisingly, closed down there, inc.:
-Savers (now another tacky/temporary shop - formerly Moben/Sharpes)
-Max Spielmann branch there closed down
-The large, dare I say '£1' shop, has closed beneath the former Haymarket
theatre, as have 1 or 2 others nearer the GS Picture House development.
-Bit between Haymarket car park ramp and Subway has been refurbished
and is now awaiting new occupants

Gallowtree Gate:
-Envy is going to have a refit (according to the posters on the windows)
-Joy has recently opened there (next door to Topshop), as has another branch of Greggs.
-One of the mobile phone shops is now empty, as is the former Going Places(?) unit next to Bhs
-HSBC are currently making a new branch in the former home of Wallis

High Street:
-Still too many 'below parr' shops and vacant units, i.e fomer Sony Centre shop.

Market Street:
-Famous memrobilia shop having closed a while back is still vacant,
-Tarrats the jewellers have swish new shop there
-Slug and Lettuce has recently opened there
-Former discount book shop unit still vacant(?)

Horsefair Street:
-Quiznos has opened on the corner with Bowling Green Street, as has an
Indian bank further down the road.

Hotel Street:
-Former Past Times Shop still vacant - they did have a posters up saying that they had 'temporarily' moved? Though the shop is out for lease now.

St Martins Square:
-The Original Cookwear shop has been saved from closing down
-Shop @ Panasonic recently opened there

Granby Street:
-HSBC bank to close soon? (relocating to Gallowtree Gate)
-Most of the units on International House's site now close down, except for Milletts.
-Cmexx (spelt correctly?) a gaming store has also opened there recently


I'm sure there's plenty more to discuss!!! :)
 
See less See more
#169 ·
I'm surprised anyone would think Leicester had an aspirational upwardly mobile population if they saw all the £ shops here.

Maybe those people are the ones who are currently all buggering off up the A... what the hell is that road called.. to Nottingham or the M6 to Brum.
 
#170 ·
I'd quite like to see Belgrave Gate get hit by Napalm.. that'd take 9 out of 10 pound shops out of the city in one swoop. Maybe we could leave a few chavs in there aswell.. except BraunstoneGeezer, I like him.. he makes me laugh.

The good news is, Leicester is having a huge rise in high-quality retailers coming to the city so hopefully the pound shops will just fade into oblivion.
 
#172 ·
one of the pound shops on belgrave gate has its lease for sale maybe some 1 should find sum dollar and buy the whole row (is that how u spell row) of crappy shops, knock em down and rebuild belgrave gate

hey thanx d4mo85, i bin called a chav alot but this is the first time someones said they like me for it, thanx m8, i think
 
#176 ·
From the Planning Department at the Council. Relates to a question I asked about turning the Greyfriars area into a retail and leisure zone:
As you may be aware we are currently working on the Council’s Local Development Framework (LDF), which replaces the previous system of localand structure plans. The current local plan, although only adopted in January 2006, is effectively under review. One of the issues for the city centre being put forward as part of the above process is in which direction should the city centre expand if there is supportable new capacity for retail floorspace in future years. It is not clear though that there will be further capacity needed to be accommodated or if there were (how much?) that the only option is expanding the retail core. A fresh retail study of the whole city has been commissioned to investigate these aspects amongst others. The earlier LRC Masterplan identified structural flaws in the city centre which prompted the adoption of a fifth Intervention Area: a NewRetail Circuit which aimed to spread pedestrian flows across a wider area. In response the Council commissioned an economic analysis of the Leicester retail circuit to examine this further. It identified the Market Place as a unifying open space giving better integration of the Lanes with Gallowtree Gate opening up opportunities for retail expansion. Another option presents itself: getting the current centre to function better than it is thus making use of underused assets within the current retail area.

Most of the area you refer to comprises small scale offices and is designated a Primarily Office Area in the local plan. It still perfoms this important function but it is undergoing gradual change particularly conversions to residential use. That area around Southgates is a Potential Development Area where the Priority use is seen as being residential with leisure, education, community and office being some of the Subordinate uses.

Whilst the future of that area is included in the wider process and debate, it seems that the immediate future of the area you describe lies with residential and office use rather than retail and leisure (this is likely to be a problem given the growing residential population).

As part of the Local development Framework process the public are being consulted on the issues facing the city and the options open to tackle them (see www.leicester.gov.uk/corestrategy). The consultation period lasts until 16th November, but there will be other opportunities to be involved. The current timetable envisages formal consultation on the Core Strategy next February when preferred options will be the subject of consultation.

A parallel discussion on the form and function of the city centre is also going on. It is hoped to be able to consult on strategies for the city centre at the same time.
Very disappointing to think that the Councils ambition for Greyfriars (a historic and beautiful area), extends to flats and offices...

Time to bombard that URL above...
 
#177 ·
Thanks for that.:)

Typical answer though. If they want to keep the place as office or residential use, then how on earth will it become a vibrant area, which is more in use throughout the day.

I sent the report to the 'core strategy' people, along with other comments on the city centre, however as yet I've had no response, even after sending them a follow-up email.
 
#182 ·
Middle-to high end stores. Perhaps more independents? There are many shops out there that still don't have a prescence in Leicester city centre, i.e similar shops to Levis, etc. Branded designer oulets. An anchor store could also be an option. Silver Arcade would be an ideal small arcade as that was its primary function-whatever is going to happen to that building I don't know.
 
#183 ·
Perhaps one of the arcades could be converted in to one large store. However the conservation groups seem to be agianst this, although i cant see the sense in prefering for a building to be disused and to fall into disrepair, which could ultimately lead to demolition, than allow some minor changes.
 
#187 ·
Well this is what it says on the LCC website:

St Martin's Square

Opened in the 1980s, Leicester City Council worked with developers on St Martin's Square.

This partnership made sure that the centre was constructed using the original features and facades from the area's existing buidlings.

Set within an historic area, and surrounded by lanes full of individual boutiques and craft shops, the result has been an upmarket shopping centre with a character all of its own.
There's no reason why the council cannot do this now as well.
 
#188 ·
The far end of Humberstone Gate is another obvious choice, though it may be difficult for any potential developer to persuade the council to sanction building a mall in the Cultural Quarter, as is Granby Street near the railway station (or even in the railway station if it's redeveloped). St. Georges Retail Park is already home to several brand names (Currys, Comet, PC World, Mothercare, Toys R Us, Pets at Home and Brantano. Oh, and Aldi and Wickes). I have suggested before that the plot would make a good site for a mall, Perhaps with a multi level carpark on top. This would also be available for use during the evenings so that people attending events in the cultural quarter would have somewhere convenient to park... And they could get rid of the car park near the PAC ;)
 
#189 ·
There needs to be better direct access to the city centre from St Georges Retail Park if that idea were to succeed; or else there's a danger of it becoming a rival for it as it is already in a sense, especially with the horrid Humberstone Gate East area acting as a negative buffer to the city cnetre.
 
#190 ·
There's already a pelican crossing there. The problem is once you're across the ring road there's an access road which can get quite busy at peak times.

My suggestion would be to reroute the access road and have an underpass (for cars, not pedestrians) at that point in the ring road.
 
Top