SkyscraperCity Forum banner

City Centre - Retail

690K views 4K replies 230 participants last post by  See Word Na 
#1 ·
As we all know, Sheffield's (city centre) retail is nowhere near up to scratch. Here's a thread for us to discuss new shops, what shops we want to see, what shops we want to get rid of etc.

I'll start us off with the unit next to River Island. It's now been taken up by 'the Perfume Shop'. I'm really quite indifferent to this. It's just another shop, although one we don't have in the city centre already.

Also, which shops do you reckon we'll see in the NRQ and Moor redevelopments? My reckonings are:

Next - Large new unit, possible of a similar size to the one in Manchester
H&M - Another store to accommodate menswear and other sections which are missing from the current one
Topshop/Topman - New larger store, possibly allowing Dorothy Perkins to expand and use both floors of the current Fargate unit (or visa-versa)
Republic
FCUK
Animal
Zara

Dunno what else. Any suggestions?
 
See less See more
#3,760 · (Edited)
Sports Direct don't own Debenhams (unless I've missed something)... Although it could make a good unit for them, Wilco or even a relocated M&S (albeit this wouldn't be ideal for Fargate unless a significant move to food / leisure is achievable...) if Debenhams does go altogether (which hopefully it won't). Sports Direct would definitely do better in a more prime location, albeit they do tend to pop up on the edge of things due to their business model and cheaper rents - I forget the current store is there half the time... HomeSense could be another option and would be a newcomer to the city centre.
 
#3,802 ·
Ashley's group has now thrown its hat back in the ring in terms of a deal for Debenhams - no certainty that anything will happen but some hope.

Of course, whatever the future holds, Debenhams are going to continue to reduce their portfolio but if they are going to modernise, refurbish some remaining stores, then The Moor seems like a good option to do so. They have a store in the middle of a growing & improving retail area, whatever the general national trends, and that probably makes it tempting to hang on there.

Of course, it will largely come down to how affordable it is to stay in the premises.
 
#3,772 ·
Firstly I’d refurb the outside of the building to the same standard as the HM building. Maybe add a glazed atrium roof to bring more light into the building. Being a department store surely those said departments can be quite easily subdivided and converted into smaller high end shop units.
 
#3,777 ·
With Debenhams set to collapse, it would be good if a deal could be done to move Wilco to that unit in town. Then all the remaining rubbish can be knocked down at Castlegate and the regeneration ball can really start rolling. Maybe it would pull up some of the better discounters too to units such as the former TJ Hughes store.
 
#3,781 ·
It's a bit like a forest fire at the moment. Once all the dead wood has been burned off new shoots will arise albite probably in a leaner form with smaller public premises but larger on line storage and distribution. I feel for all those who have lost their jobs though. Was there a song once "Everything must change"?
 
#3,783 ·
Some rather blase posts on here, focusing on chopping up the Debenhams store before the corpse is even cold - 12k jobs at risk, we're talking about here.

(Having said that, talk of 'is going in to liquidation' seems to have softened to 'will go in to liquidation if no buyer is found' again this lunchtime. Maybe it's not gone yet.)


Also, why always so much snobbery about Wilko? There isn't one on Oxford Street, true, but there is one on Kensington High St so...
As if The Moor, Sheffield is too good for Wilko. And Castlegate? The future of Castlegate is probably students, cultural industries, urban village; frankly, a store that sells reasonably priced arts/crafts, housewares, general groceries, etc. is probably ideal for a growing area like that. Not to mention the last large P.O. in the city centre.
 
#3,785 ·
No snobbery here. I often shop at Wilko in Newcastle - but it's housed in an elegant stone building; the one at Sheffield Haymarket is not pretty at all.
The thing that gets me is when Developers (just like Estate Agents) come up with marketing guff such as "this will be Sheffield's Oxford Street" when clearly that was never going to be the case, nor will it suddenly become so if (and we were only hypothesis about a theoretical relocatuon) Wilko were to move into the prime block of that street at Moorhead. I'm one who much prefers to call a spade a spade.

As for the jobs loss - tragic, it goes without saying. But that shouldn't stymie debate about what to do with the building. I'm no retail expert, but clearly with Debs being under Administration for so long now and no buyer having come forward, despite its downsizing (it shut many large stores in the Spring), no doubt compounded by a bleak outlook for retail generally under Covid-19, I very much doubt the barely tepid corpse will suddenly be resurrected at the 59th minute of the 11th hour.
 
#3,788 ·
Fenwicks is very 'House of Fraser-y'. If HoF failed at Castle Square (T 'Oyal int' Rooad) years ago (yet opened at Murder-all) then I doubt Fenwick would have enough posh custom at The Moor. Would also be a competitor to JLP, who could probably do without it for their own security in the city.

I think Fenwicks Newcastle shut temporarily at end of March (start of Lockdown 1) and won't reopen 'til post-Covid. Not sure if not trading in the interim has severely damaged them financially or conversely damaged them less - furlough staff to keep costs down? Weird how no other big stores did the same.
 
#3,790 ·
I think the day of the department store is dead, with the exception of the very high end where you go for the experience.

It’s unsurprising Debenhams have failed. Why would you go in there to buy a limited selection of clothes from Topshop (as an example), when there’s a greater choice of clothes in an actual Topshop around the corner?

I think their pull should be primarily focused on offering brands that are otherwise unavailable in the location.

It’ll be interesting to see what happens here though. I fear we’ll see a conversion with student accommodation on the upper floors, with retail at ground level.
 
#3,791 ·
Its so difficult for the high street at the moment - surely the government needs to start making Amazon pay its fair share of taxes - not least to start to help us out of this massive Covid economic crises and give the high street a chance - but agree with your thoughts on the future of department stores.
 
#3,792 ·
Without a doubt they do; why should Amazon get preferential treatment, when it adds little to the UK economy. Before any says that they provide jobs - they do, but let's not forget the employees may well be people who used to work in long-since-closed bookshops, clothing retailers etc. Nobody dreams of working in Amazon warehouse.

Hopefully people will try and shop local, where possible, but understandably convenience and cost plays a major part in people's decision making.
 
#3,793 ·
They do provide jobs, but dont have the fixed costs of the High Street, dont pay the tax the High street has to yet competing with the high street - I reckon net net they cost more jobs than they create!! Plus using your example - surely its more fulfilling managing your own llittle book shop than having the whip cracked on you in a big Amazon shed? so costing jobs net net and the jobs they are providing arent Id suggest as fulfilling as the ones they are creating....
 
#3,795 ·
I think in certain locations you will find more people working in these large sheds than ever worked in their local high street. Of course if you don't have any of these sheds in your town or city then, workwise you are screwed.
I would imagine that more people work in these hubs in Sheffield than have ever worked in shops in Sheffield City Centre, like it or not Sheffield has done well with distribution centres like Amazon , Pretty Little thing and the like. Don't forget that these sheds also need army's of drivers as well, to deliver to everybody's door.
One way the government could act to try and level it up would be to tax all these delivery vans, if only for the pollution they create. We can bash the likes of Amazon till the cows come home but in reality consumers are kings and its down to everybody's own taste as to where to shop..
 
Top