GRcade

Lagamorph wrote:The Debenhams in the Metro Centre is gigantic, it's 4 or 5 floors and is again another entire end of the mall.

And I think Intu may of contributed to the fit out costs to entice them to stay or stick around if I remember right?

Same with Eldon Square, huge unit, always busy but clearly people just don't spend inside the stores. Going to just leave massive gaps to fill.

The one in Middlesbrough is strawberry floating disgusting, as is Edinburgh & the previous one in York town centre.

The two that I used to go to closed down ages ago. Clapham Junction and Wimbledon, I think that the Clapham Junction one had been there a really long time.

My dad strawberry floating loved the big one in Dundee so he'll be gutted.

My da is gutted as well. So am I tbh. God knows what they’re gonna do to the Metro Centre store, it’s a monster.

Bonmarche have gone into administration again this morning.

Bottom level of Metro Centre store is currently being used by Next. I expect the other 2 levels will be clothes shops and probably the store cafe will be a Costa.

Newcastle is a huge new store and the centre piece of Eldon Square. Sunderland one is huge too.

I don't think I've ever been in a small Debenhams. They're always massive, and if they're in a shopping centre, they're almost always the biggest unit in there. They'll leave a big gap - literally and figuratively - when they go.

There's a huge Debenhams in Middlesbrough as well spread across 4 floors. Along with House of Fraser it's one of the biggest units in the town. The House of Fraser has 6 floors, but I think 4 or 5 of them are now closed off.

I mean, it's a department store isn't it, by definition they are going to be pretty big!

It's a retail model that has been in danger for a while, particularly for a "middle of the road" option like Debenhams. Something like a John Lewis or a more bespoke store like a Harrod's can sell you on the "premium experience" and offer something that you might not get elsewhere but Debenhams just doesn't have a USP or anything to make it stand out from either the high end or the cheaper options of something like a T.K. Maxx

Three years of private equity ownership also saddled Debenhams with more than £1billion of debt. I'm not sure there's any business model they could have adapted to that would actually have helped them out of that hole.

Similar thing is/has happened with Pizza Express I think.

Trago Mills supremacy

Wall Drug FTW!

Victor Mildew wrote:Trago Mills supremacy

I went to Trago Mills a few years back, t'is one of the strangest places i've ever been.

Trago Mills is obviously the GOAT, look at the premium locations where they operate: Falmouth, Liskeard, Newton Abbot, and Merthyr Tydfil!

Jenuall wrote:Trago Mills is obviously the GOAT, look at the premium locations where they operate: Falmouth, Liskeard, Newton Abbot, and Merthyr Tydfil!

It was the Newton Abbot one i visited, it was like being transported back 30 years, never seen anything quite like it.

There was a really nice chippy on site though which was something.

KK wrote:If the future is working from home, these places are just doomed. Public transport in a lot of places becomes unsustainable too.

They are doomed if they do nothing and stay as they are, but if the move more to suburbs and towns and offer delivery in the day (liek Greggs now has started doing) they can survive just fine. It depends on if they try and move with the times or just sit crying.

Jenuall wrote:Trago Mills is obviously the GOAT, look at the premium locations where they operate: Falmouth, Liskeard, Newton Abbot, and Merthyr Tydfil!

There's one in MERTHYR?!

The original one was strawberry floating mental. I remember going there with my mum and it feeling like we were in that place for days. I do remember getting the hunt for red October (big box) for my dad's Amstrad cpc there. It only loaded once

It was also the place that I hold responsible for my fear of peacocks (the bird, not the shop). Bastards used to chase me around the car park, much to mum's amusement.

Lex-Man wrote:The two that I used to go to closed down ages ago. Clapham Junction and Wimbledon, I think that the Clapham Junction one had been there a really long time.

The Clapham Junction Debenhams has only existed for 15 years. It used to be Arding & Hobbs:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arding_%26_Hobbs

Can't think how the building would work as flats or what retailer might want to actually expand their retail presence. Might work as a cinema or possibly a hotel though.

Like me, Jenuall may remember the big Debenhams at the end of Exeter High Street, used to tower over the rest of the city like some massive beacon.

Nowadays the building is a John Lewis.

Grumpy David wrote:

Lex-Man wrote:The two that I used to go to closed down ages ago. Clapham Junction and Wimbledon, I think that the Clapham Junction one had been there a really long time.

The Clapham Junction Debenhams has only existed for 15 years. It used to be Arding & Hobbs:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arding_%26_Hobbs

Can't think how the building would work as flats or what retailer might want to actually expand their retail presence. Might work as a cinema or possibly a hotel though.

It's a grade two listed building, though. It's actually amazing to walk around. There apperently was an attempt to turn the upstairs into flats a while ago.