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Just posted this but the website was "undergoing maintenance".
Just saw an advert on RetailChoice for a "new flagship store" that will be a "new store concept" from a "well established department store".
http://www.retailchoice.com/JobSearch/JobDetails.aspx?JobId=54379186&PageNum=2&Keywords=&Sort=0<xt=cardiff&Radius=5&distance=0.0&precision=2
Any idea what this could be? I know Harvey Nicks have something new opening in Liverpool One, I think based around beauty, accessories etc. Could it be something similar? And if so where would it go?
The advert asks for a background in homewares, fashion or entertainment, this doesn't suggest Harvey Nicks to me. Their Liverpool store is going to be beauty based I think.
Who else is there though? Selfridges aren't known to be opening any small format stores and I can't think of anyone else.
Locations could be Habitat or any of the 3 remaining MSU's In the Grand Arcade.
This is interesting. With any luck it is Harvey Nichols planning to open in the former Habitat unit as per their Liverpool One venture. However, the references to entertainment/homewares suggest this is unlikely. I'm wracking my brain to think of other possibilities. There was talk some months back about Wilkinsons opening in the city centre in a reconfigured Queens Arcade. Wilkinsons are opening concept stores (believe it or not!) at the moment. That would fit with the first reference to homewares and to an extent, entertainment (children's toys etc) but Wilkinsons don't to my knowledge sell fashion. The other possibility is that the advert relates to the new Next store which is opening this week in the Capital Retail Park. That would explain the homewares and fashion aspects but not entertainment. The reference to a high footfall and volume environment doesn't suggest to me that this new store is going to be particularly high-end, but I may be wrong. All a bit perplexing.
The new shop opening in the old Habitat will be Urban Outfitters sister company called Anthropologie.
I guess Urban Outfitters must be doing well then, there are only 3 stand alone Anthropologie stores in the UK and 1 concession in Selfridges.
That puts this mystery department store in St. David's then.
....or the old Primark on Queen St maybe
Old Primark? AFAIK its still there and there are no plans to move... have I missed something?
And where is the information on Anthropologie coming from? Its a pretty hefty unit for that one retailer? I would have thought they'd split the unit into 2 or 3.
Not Primark, Peacocks sorry! Long day
http://www.retail-week.com/sectors/department-stores/harvey-nichols-hunts-for-beauty-bazaar-locations/5040430.article
Beauty Bazaar is looking at locations in Cardiff. The store in Liverpool is in a former Habitat store.. we also have one of these going empty. So perhaps it could be a good match here too?
A quirky arts / retail place called Cardiff Fashion Quarter is opening on Womanby Street according to this:
http://community.nationaltheatrewales.org/profiles/blogs/cfq-cardiff-fashion-quarter-opens-it-s-doors-this-friday-with-a
I guess vintage and arty oddball stuff, also with a cafe and gigs. I think this is in the same building as Nisa, in the back half of the building in what was an outdoor gear store previously opposite Dempseys. I wonder if it will be successful? I hope so, it will add character to a street that is already a little different to most of cardiff city centre. And who knows, maybe it could expand or inspire someone to take on the building opposite that has been closed for a long time... Maybe a tattoo place would fit the in well there?
There are two buildings on Womanby Street which I wish somebody would do something with! Towards the top (at the back end of Dempsey's) there's, what looks like an old brick farm house, doors and windows have long since been kicked in, boarded up and are now plastered in posters for Clwb Ifor Bach. This place is crying to out to be opened as a bar called 'The Slaughter House' (if only I had the cash!). Meanwhile a couple of doors down there's a 2/3 storey office block next to the Revolution smoking area which is in desperate need of flattening - it's in a dire state, literally looks like it's been blown up! I can't imagine anybody is ever going to take it on without completely demolishing it - can't we get the Cuddy guys based in Callaghan Square to sort this monstrosity out while they await the OK to demolish the old factory?
Hotel Chocolat going on the Hayes in the old Carphone Warehouse unit (next to the newsagents opposite the snack bar). Good to see development moving away from the main St Davids frontage.
I bet the newsagent's will be out as soon as their lease is up.
Good news though! I know Helical Bar want to attract more niche chain stores into the arcades to drive up rents and footfall. Will the lack of small units on the Hayes and in St Davids mean thats now possible?
I think you are right. It's another sign of things spreading and is really good news as far as I'm concerned.
Sign is down on the Habitat building and some work going on inside. Anyone know whats going in there?
I know what you mean James but there is a newsagent in Royal Arcade, Castle Arcade, Castle St, Quay St, the station, Caroline St, Newport Rd etc
It seems to me that the Hayes is becoming Cardiff's Regent Street whilst Queens St is Cardiff's Oxford Street. It also has a nice mix of uses (concert hall, library, church, museum, restaurants, pubs, etc) whereas Queen st is doggedly retail/fast food. I don't want retailers cleansed away either but its quite nice to have a 'high end' street in the city.
Reluctantly you can take the Hayes newsagents then, but keep your mits off Colins Books on Caroline Street.
My mitts will be going nowhere near any of Colin's books. I've read the warnings about hairy palms, blindness etc and I don't intend to ignore them.
In other news something called 'It's All Greek To Me' appears to be opening in High St arcade (in the former harp shop). It seems to be a deli/cafe on a Greek (unsurprisingly) theme. It will be next to the latest Barkers coffee house which is supposed to be opening this month. With the creperie just opened, Atlantic coffee and the New York Deli it looks like that arcade will be almost as much about food and drink as it is about retail. Is this the future for the arcades?
Also shop fitters already in the unit where Hotel Chocolat are going. Cosy Club looks like opening imminently and work has started on Crepe Affair (both in Hills St - tecnically part of SD2 but can't be arsed posting on two different threads).
Art Gallery/dealer opening in Morgan Arcade which is approaching fully let status.
Finally there is a Coffee Heaven sign up on a unit in St Mary St - next to McDonalds.
How much coffee do people need to drink? Is there no limit on the number of muffins or pastries people want to scoff?
Its good news, I think. Catering outlets and coffee shops have become a much bigger feature of shopping centres and high streets in recent years. In high streets its often because they are the ones willing to pay the highest rents. In shopping centres, its part of a concious strategy by the owners to give people a reason to visit in addition to the shops, and to keep them there longer when they do visit.
It's probably part of the efforts of the arcade owners too, although they need to be careful they don't become overly dominated by cafes and coffee shops.
It looks as though some weeding has been going on in the empty lot on the right Colin's Books also there is renovation taking place in Pipi's restaurant on the left of the shop. A quick look on google earth shows that Pipi's could have access to the empty lot, possibly are they going to have a garden area?
When I first read that I thought you said there was a wedding going on at Colin's Books....!!
Aren't Colin's Books and the newsagent opposite the last outpost of the famous Fry's Porn and Darts empire? They used to have four or five shops at one time dotted around Caroline Street, Bridge Street and the Wyndham Arcade.
I always suspected they only sold darts to give blokes an excuse to go inside. "See you in a minute, love - I'm just popping in 'ere for some flights..."
The Cosy Cafe have taken that godawful decal off their upstairs windows (the ones which look over the Hayes) and Jeez doesn't it look ten times better. For all the cash that the retailers spend in tarting out their stores, I never understood why they didn't seem interested in creating proper displays on their external first floor windows.
On another front, I popped into the Fleamarket on Womanby St last weekend and generally liked what I saw. It wasn't particularly busy, what with as many customers as traders.
I admit however, to being flabbergasted that one of the bric-a-brac units upstairs was selling wait for it ......Jim'll Fix It badges (soap versions) with pictures of Saville on the cover!!!!! It also wasn't just a rogue item lost amongst the displays - there were half a dozen of them peppered across the display shelves. I'm surprised that the Echo haven't been reporting on that one!
My cab driver tonight said it's been open a week and is £25 for all you can eat with roast meats and salads. Looks a lot flasher than the average all-you-can-eaterie.
Hamleys is opening on the 15th Nov.
Looks like Blacks on Working Street have gone. Also Field and Trek who have a unit in the Queens Arcade facing the street have had a closing down sale sign up for the last few weeks. Is this a symptom of us falling out of love with the outdoor life or could it mean that the re-modelling works to the Queens Arcade Working St entrance are imminent?
Also Officers Club have relocated to the Venetian type building on Queen St (used to be Gap not so long ago). An ignominious use of what is one of Queen St's architectural delights although this is certainly better than it remaining empty I guess.
The building which contained GAP was subsequently occupied by Brand Centre, an offshoot of MadHouse which was owned and run by "legitimate businessmen". Talking of "legitmate businessmen", Philip Green's British Home Stores on Queen street will be shutting on 20th January and all of the staff are being made redundant. Word is that the lease was too expensive and the building needs substantial investment to bring it up to spec. There you go: A scoop!
So Primark it is then?
Walesonline just retweeted the Echo's front page. It will go with 160 jobs. Didn't realise it employed so many people.
"Street Casuals" opening Wednesday in Morgan's Arcade. Opposite Route One!
There is a suggestion that BHS will open a smaller store in Cardiff sometime in 2013. Not quite sure where it will go if they can't afford the rent on Queen St. Capitol or Queens Arcade maybe? If they want to be a serious presence on the high street surely they can't be retreating from cities like Cardiff?
I really feel for the staff. What a kick in the teeth just before Christmas.
I'm not sure about the Primark rumour. It seems that the landlord must have another tenant lined up otherwise they would have fought tooth and nail to keep BHS in the current climate, even if that meant dropping the rent. I don't know what the terms of Primarks lease are on their current Queen St unit (except that it is eye wateringly expensive) but if the lease isn't due to expire I'm sure the lease terms will mean that they will be liable for rent until new tenants are found. Which could be for the full lease term. Plus they will have significant refit costs.
If that is the case then what advantage will there be in moving across the road? Yes they will have access to St Davids centre but the current unit appears packed to the gills everytime I go past so will there actually be an increase in profits?
One thing I've not been sure of is whether the BHS store is part of St Davids (i.e. the freehold / long-term lease is owned by the St David's partnership). It links to St David's but it might be owned by a different landlord. The reason for this is that the old St David's is always quoted as being something like 400,000 square feet. Debenhams was 130,000 before the extension, and if you added on Boots, M&S, and BHS, surely that would take it over the size without counting the other shops? On the other hand I think at least one of Boots, M&S or BHS must be part of St Davids in order to reach the 400,000 square feet quoted.
If BHS is owned by St Davids and Primark does not move in (although I do suspect they want a bigger store as the existing one gets so crowded that it turns into a pigstye, putting off customers, and hampering sales), could one option be to convert the unit into an extra mini mall? I struggle to think of who else would want a unit this size apart from Primark but one might be able to turn it into 4 - 8 units of various sizes and let those. I think before long we will see unsatisfied demand for small/medium size units in St Davids. The main problem with this is you'd have two entrances to the centre pretty close to each other. You might just significantly weaken footflow in the mall from the existing Queen St entrance, leading to more voids on that section: at the moment its doing pretty well, although the tenant mix isn't that inspiring. Perhaps there could be some scope for tenant management, moving uninspiring shops like Kingdom of Sweets, Deichman shoes, 02 and some of the crap in the Working St Mall to the new mall and the Queen St Mall, and up the quality on Working St. Given this could link towards House of Fraser and the top of the Hayes, this could continue the "higher quality" stores you see in the Hayes and Grand Arcade areas.
I always thought Frederick St could be turned into a sort of 'mini-mall' offshoot of St Davids. Knock down the building where Starbucks is and the building opposite where Orange is and then build a second Queen St entrance to St Davids on two levels.
I reckon you would have space for maybe 10 to 12 decent sized units on each floor plus a couple of decent sized units facing Queen St. The entrance would be just a little bit further away from the existing Queen St entrance as well. It could even be linked to the existing BHS building.
Not sure what the cost of redevelopment would be - maybe £20m? Based on 20 units with an average rent of 120k p a thats 2.4m in rent per year (assuming fully let) which isn't that bad a yield.
At the moment Frederick St is a nothing space with just a Greggs and an amusement arcade.
I think M&S, Woolies and Boots all had extensions built on to open up onto the original St. Davids?
Wasn't a mini-mall initially suggested when Woolies closed thier city centre store down but then BHS moved in from their building on Queens Street which then became part of ill fated Queens West?
Primark is a very good candidate actually. I know in other towns and cities they've taken over former Littlewoods stores and they weren't exactly small stores.
If Primark do move, what of the current Primark unit? That's a big shop to let and if it remains empty it won't be good for Queen St.
Who could be potential replacement tenants?
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