I would guess that this unit would be the new gym, don't think any of the little units on the 1st floor would be big enough.

Sports Direct In St Davids is an absolute eye saw and should be out! Looks awful to visitors to the centre cos its such a mess! could have been an awesome fashion store of some sort but nope its uch as soon as you enter!

Since we are all putting the boot in the SD2 Sports Direct store, I'll repreat the often expressed opinion on this board that it would have been so much nicer if that unit had been split into several smaller units with active frontages on Hills Street. I don't see this happening any time soon though.

I guess you can imagine the running machines in the new gym in the Capitol Centre looking out over Queen Street, with the gym having its own external entrance independent of the Capitols opening hours on the ground floor. If correct, the swap of Sports Direct for this sounds like a step up.

What's with all the sweet shops popping up. There is one in the Queens arcade, one in St Davids and one on Queen Street. I've just walked past the capitol and there is another Americandy shop going where that cheapo clothes shop was (called looks). They all look incredibly tacky too. Thankfully, I love sweets.

Application to split NSU5/6 in the Capitol into 2 smaller units and to install a new shop-front. This is the old United Colors of Benetton unit which is "Under Offer" according to Shop Property. I'm not sure if both of the new units are under offer or just one of them.

Hopefully a bit of good news for the Capitol. It must be a permanent tenant - you don't do major work like this for a temporary letting (unless you are incredibly desperate, perhaps!).

You can't polish a turd

Actually in terms of turd polishing we aren't doing that badly in Cardiff over the last few years. Both the Atrium and the RWCMD were refurbs of really big turds that have come up gleaming.

I'm hoping for something similar with the Millenium Plaza if/when it gets turned into a Convention Centre. A turd of a newer vintage maybe but a turd all the same.

The Capitol centre's turdiness is of quite some magnitude however so the polishing required is likely to be significant.

I think the general approach in Cardiff hasn't been to polish - that implies taking back layers - but instead to somehow wrap it up in a way that it no longer smells as bad. Think of the re-cladding on Atrium, or Admiral House, or Stadium House, or for that matter, a few years ago, the Capitol Centre.

I don't dislike the Capitol Centre actually. Its Queens Arcade I dislike the most with its strange layout and its horrible fixtures and fittings. I find the Capitol quite classy in some ways, and find it a real shame that its fallen on such hard times.

I agree about Queens Arcade. The internal layout is really strange. I always feel slightly squiffy with all the sloping floors and the internal fitting are the definition of tat.

Capitol - inside - is actually quite nice. However the outside is just unremittingly god awful. The beige bricks topped by exposed concrete, the half arsed po-mo touches, the silly iron bits, the entrance to the car park, the failure to recognise the scale of the buildings surrounding it or even to follow the street pattern. I really despise the building and would happily see it demolished tomorrow.

I was in Queen's Arcade the other day and the occupancy rate seems to have improved - albeit that many of the new tenants had "short-term" written all over them. Agree about the horrid design though.

Blimey, have looked on that Shop Property website and most of The Capitol's units are on there including Austin Reed. Add in the Internacionale unit and things are really looking grim.

Think a re focus towards leisure may be the only answer.

Anyone know what's happening with All Star Lanes?

Two articles on WalesOnline about retail in Cardiff.

The most shocking is:
http://www.walesonline.co.uk/cardiffonline/cardiff-news/2011/11/21/impact-of-st-david-s-2-sees-sharp-drop-in-footfall-at-neighbouring-queens-arcade-91466-29810945/

I wasn't aware that almost 1/6 of Queens Arcade (in terms of space) was empty, and that a further 1/4 was occupied by temporary units. Footfall has declined by around 20%. And at least one retailer, Argos, wants to downsize.

In summary, it paints quite a worrying picture, especially because Queens Arcade directly joins St Davids, and could be expected to see an increase in footfall as customers coming down from the parking in Cathays Park use it as a short-cut to St Davids.

I agree that the images we have of the proposed extension don't look that great (although I don't think it looks as bad as some people seem to feel), but it does seem that the centre needs some work to keep it going. One concern could be that the extension planned is not bold enough; that a more comprehensive and ambitious remodelling and extension is needed to turn the tide. Perhaps.

Theres also another article about the arcades which has a rosy title but then a pretty downbeat text, especially from the landlords, Curzon. Thankfully that Ozstreicher guy at Crane's isn't mouthing off again...

Maybe it's the case that Cardiff is not big enough to support 3 big malls plus 2 very strong shopping streets in Queen St and the Hayes?

I think there is something in that although in the case of Queens Arcade I also think that people just don't like shopping in there. The layout is downright weird. It just feels odd. It was odd when it was built with the escalators going straight onto the street and then the re-furb to the Queen St entrance just compounded matters by making the downstairs claustraphobic.

I'm not concerned. SD2 totally shook up retail in Cardiff, and SE Wales generally, and add to that the recession and you have an environment that will see some streets and malls increase footfall, and some decline.

Generally we know that visitors to the city are up, and retail wise the city seems to be doing fairly well, but within that some streets and malls will inevitably see a decline.

As Karl said, Queens Arcade is a little weirdly layed out.

One thing I'd happily see vacate there though is the post office. I think it's embarrasing that the central post office in the capital city of Wales is on the groundfloor of a crappy mall, wedged into a unit that used to house Madhouse Jeans (or whatever it was)

Royal Mail don't seem to be run well generally, but it doesn't surprise me in their lack of pride in their estate.

It doesn't build public support (unlike say the BBC, which seems to take these things seriously)

I completely agree about the Queens Arcade; the layout is terrible! Also considering there are so many empty units and poor quality shops is it any surprise that footfall is down? I'm pretty sure if Queens Arcade had the internal layout of the Capitol the situation would be considerably better!

Regarding the independents/arcades - a few of them would have made a couple of quid more off me if they bothered to open their advertised hours! I was doing some Christmas shopping on Sunday and despite stating they opened 12-4 the two shops I wanted to go in were both closed at 12, 1 and 1:45 when I went to check.

New cafe called Taste has today opened in High Street. The fitting out has taken months and yet they have today just opened - no leaflets, no balloons, no offers, no sandwich boards, no nothing. It always amazes me when businesses plough huge amounts of money into a venture and then don't bother marketing it.

Around the corner the facade of the Model Inn - soon to be Brains first stand alone restaurant - has been transformed. It looks a lot better and more in keeping with the age of the building.

A beauty salon with cosmetic surgery premises upstairs has just opened next to Dempseys on Castle St. A chance for Jantra to get those moobs sorted out.....

PS. I have also been told by an admittedly unreliable source that Tesco's are going to open in the Capitol centre shortly.

Could be a turbulent 2012 for retail in general. I've read that Blacks, Millets, Thorntons, Past Times, La Senza and HMV - all of whom have a presence in the city centre - are on the brink. Clintons cards also struggling and of course Barrats/Priceless Shoes have gone into admin.

Harvey Nichols has chosen Liverpool One in which to launch a new concept, small format store. The fashion store will occupy the 22,000-sq ft former Habitat store in Peter’s Lane, Liverpool One’s fashion hub, opening in Autumn 2012.

Very interesting! Could Harvey Nichols possibly pick up the Cardiff habitat for a small concept store?
Would be a lovely addition to the city especially the Hayes!

It seems ideal for HN to go in that unit just like in Liverpool...

What do we think?

That would be a great use of that lovely building.

I must stress however that Scouse girls spend an absolute fortune on designer labels (as well as sunbeds) and that south Wales girls certainly do not in comparison. Most major top end labels have stores in Liverpool as there is a huge market for them.

Who knows though, it could work.

Anyone heard anything about who might be sniffing around?

I've heard nothing about the unit. I saw the Harvey Nicks story as well and concur with Simon's analysis, unfortunately (although perhaps its a good thing Welsh women-folk seem to be less flash with the cash).

When I was back at Christmas, looking up the Hayes whilst walking from the Library, the old Habitat unit really does stand out so should be prime space. I wouldn't be surprised if it were split in to a couple of units. And then we might get something like Anthropologie or Banana Republic (mid-market enough to find Cardiff appealing I think), and Jack Wills (to keep the teenagers happy, although I think the brand has lost some of its lustre).

Fred Perry to open on the Hayes...

Replacing Azendi On The Hayes! Can Not Wait For This Brilliant Addition To Cardiff :-D Very Very Pleased

Not quite city centre but it looks like Coffee No 1 are opening in Pontcanna (see todays Echo). I think thats a good move for them. I was wondering when we would see a few openings since Brains took them over. I expect to see a few more during the course of the year in the city centre, the Bay and possibly some of the plusher burbs.

It looks like Baskin Robbins and Cafe Gelato - both in Castle St - have closed down. You'd think that would be a great pitch opposite the castle but apart from the gift shop nothing seems to thrive down there. The units under the Angel hotel have been empty for over a decade now.

Both ice cream parlours closing simultaneously is bad news.

You're right - that stretch has always struggled despite its seemingly prime location. You would have thought that being 'bang opposite the castle' would be a selling point and result in greater footfall and custom. Alas tis' not.

I suppose we lag way behind our peers (Edinburgh and Dublin)in absolute tourism numbers so the tourist footfall is much lower than it could be, and traders can't rely on locals to spend there because they have an aversion to walking more than 50m away from the main shopping drags.

I remember that. That was a few years ago I think. In the interim they've painted and renovated the whole outside so it's not as if Barcelo are not investing money in the Angel.

It's an odd one - there are lots of guesthouses in Cathedral Rd so you'd think there would be quite a lot of people walking past on their way to town. CAP/Milstad is round the corner, it's near bus stops, opposite the castle etc.

To be fair, that Cafe Gelato place was horrible. Badly lit and just generally uninviting. Baskin Robbins looked like it was plucked from the 80's and was always staffed by a bloke in a full suit, odd.

BR was open today....

Vitality Boutique thingymabob open on Castle St too...not sure if been mentioned

Also not sure if mentioned: Costa in the bay is now 'Terra Nova Coffee Shop', no doubt due to takeover of Coffee#1...although still serving all coffee as Costa (but food C#1-esque). Probably just using up Costa Stock. They use Terra Nova coffee stamp cards as opposed to C#1 or the Costa loyalty card.

The newsagents in Pontcanna is up for lease.

Hobbs in the Capitol Centre is going to become an "outlet" as opposed to a regular store:

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/showbiz-and-lifestyle/style-and-shopping-in-wales/2012/02/16/hobbs-cardiff-reinvents-itself-as-an-outlet-91466-30338768/

The PR / Press Office do an admiral job trying to paint this as a wonderful thing: a response to what customrers want in one of their "strong performers". But they ultimately fail.

This is pretty bad news for both the store, the Capitol and the city more widely. A store previously able to sell full priced new season items is shifting to selling discounted last season's clothing, and some "items specially designed for our outlet customers" (i.e. cheap stuff!). This suggests the city is being hit pretty hard when it comes to retail spend. I've had a feeling this is the case for a while. When retailers like Pumpkin Patch, Barratts, Pulp, The Entertainer, etc, have gone into administration, their Cardiff stores have been some of the first to go.

I see this as a pretty bad news story however the PR guys want to sell it!

I wonder if retail will recover to pre 2008 levels in the next decade if at all? Was the late 90's/early 00's the high watermark for retail activity?

There have been quite a few high profile casualties over the last 4 years or so and the way that internet shopping is growing there are bound to be some more. I can't see established retailers stepping in and expanding their presence in city centres anytime soon or many new entrants into the market. We have already seen international retailers like Springfield and Pumpkin Patch crash and burn in the UK within a couple of years and Forever 21 and presumably many others appear to be scaling back expansion plans.

I wonder if this is just a contraction back to normal levels (ie not fuelled by massive consumer borrowing) or are we seeing a fundamental change in retail? I think a bit of both - some of the retail chains that came along a few years ago had an offer that was incredibly weak and it was only a matter of time before they went into admin. But at the same time I can see a fundamental change in the way that people buy things. Some people in my office use Waterstones/HMV etc as a place to browse and pick things they'll buy cheaper on the net when they get home. They do the same with electrical goods, furniture, even clothes.

I think SD2 could be one of the last malls of that size we see built in Britain for some period of time.

I guess this is the right place to put this.

Gamegroup (Game, Gamestation, Gameplay) apparantly failed to reach an agreement with EA (one of the World's largest game developers and publishers) to sell their titles in their stores in future - including possible "blockbusters"/"bestsellers". Loads of pre-orders have been cancelled causing general inconvenience.

Just wondering if this hints at much deeper problems behind the scenes.

It looks like Baci (bra and knicker shop) in St Davids is closed as is Weird Fish.

If its true about Weird Fish then the old St Davids has had a torrid time since Xmas, losing about 6 units in 2 months (Baci have been taken off the St Davids store map for a couple of weeks).

Baci only opened recently. Perhaps the appetite for bras wasn't as insatiable as thought? Just noticed they had a Groupon voucher (not sure when) for £13 for a £30 voucher for the store. Not a sign of a successfully trading business. Interesting thing is that it says vouchers can only be redeemed in store and are valid until June 2012. I wonder how many people bought the voucher and are now out of pocket?

I think it was a mistake for them to launch in Cardiff. Cardiff consumers are conservative. If they don't know the name they won't go in the store. They follow our kind-of national animal, the Sheep. Baci should launch in London, make a name then spread across the country.

I noticed today that there are hoardings up for another Cafe Nero - this time it's on the ground floor of the former Bennetton shop in the Capitol Shopping Centre.

I don't think anyone else has already posted this opening on this forum have they?

Interesting. I know they split this unit (or had a planning app do to this). Wonder whats going upstairs?

I bet Soho Coffee inside will be a little bit annoyed as I imagine they have been hit hard by the decline in footfall already. And this will just give them an extra, more visible, competitor.

Looks like Millets in Duke St is closing down. There appears to be a clearance sale going on so unless it's getting ready for a major refurb it seems to me that another one is getting ready to bite the dust.

On the general subject of Duke St I find it really down at heel considering it fronts the castle. The Rummer is a nice building (just had a paint job) and the Duke st arcade building and the building that now houses Subway are decent but the rest are really quite dire. The problem is it's neither a primary shopping street or office location so the incentive for landlords to renovate is not there. One of the units (where Jessops used to be) has been empty for about 3 years now and I wonder how long the Millets unit will take to be filled.

Just up the road in Castle St the unit that was occupied by Blacks is occupied by a Nisa mini supermarket.

There's a lovely picture hung on the temporary fencing outside the castle of how it will look once the paving outside the front gate is finished. From the top of High street to the gate itself will be basically a square. On days when Castle street is closed to traffic this will be a wonderful asset to the city, and pretty good on all other days too. I say "a square" because that will be the shape of the paving. I am glad that the rape of this historic structure by the ticket portacabin is at an end, even though it's little bro is there for a few more weeks. I've tried to find this picture online but in vain.

What surprises me with Duke Street is that it hasn't attracted more businesses aimed at tourists. The existing gift shop seems to do very well and it's odd that other businesses haven't tried to cash-in on the Castle's footfall.

A couple of issues for me.

Firstly, the junction at the end of Duke Street is terrible. The majority of people walking from Canton to town would surely go down Westgate Street and cross there, rather than the guaranteed wait to cross by the Angel hotel.

Secondly, there is a great pub underneath the Angel that is closed off. Shame on them really, could be a great venue but they don't seem to have a vision for it. Would make a difference to that street.

I used to frequent the Angel Tavern quite often. There was a number of pubs around that area - Fat Sams and the Green Parrott as well as Four Bars Inn (now Dempseys) and the much lamented Horse and Groom.

It used to be frequented mostly by 6th form students and there were quite a few incidents in there as I recall. Also it was a cellar bar so there was no view of the castle etc which would have made it appealing for tourists etc. I'd like to see it open again although I suspect that Barcelo hotels wouldn't touch it with a barge pole. Perhaps if the units at ground level of the Angel (currently empty) were turned into a decent restaurant/bar that may be commercially viable. Great views of the castle and animal wall etc.

Sadly these units seem to be unlettable which is strange given their location but I think we've probably discussed that particular conundrum elsewhere on this forum.