Stockport Town Centre is bucking the trend with two big name signings on the High Street.
Despite challenging times in retail, Stockport is pleased to announce that work is starting on the redevelopment of the former BHS department store to create brand new, modern units for JD Sports and Poundland.
The two high street heavyweights will open in early 2024. JD Sports and Poundland will occupy the ground floor units. The remaining first floor unit is earmarked for an exciting new use for Merseyway, with more details to be announced soon!
Major High Street brands are increasingly seeing the transformation of Stockport and want to be part of it. IKEA opened a brand new concept store in Merseyway in March and Marks and Spencer have returned to the town centre with a 16,000 sq ft food hall at Peel Retail Park.
The redevelopment of the former BHS store will create modern retail space and will include the re-fronting of the building along Merseyway and the creation of a new ground floor entrance on Prince’s Street, as well as further improvements to the immediate public realm.
It is expected that the works will be complete and the new stores open in Spring 2024.
The redevelopment of the former BHS department store is a key part of the Council’s long term regeneration plans for Merseyway and the Town Centre. Works to improve the public realm on Merseyway will be complete later this year and a brand new Innovation Centre, a hub for new businesses, will be opening in August. These alongside Stockroom and the Future High Street Fund, means there is a hive of construction activity taking place in the popular shopping centre as work continues to make Stockport Town Centre a great place to spend time in.
In partnership with the Future High Streets Fund, work is also currently underway to repurpose eight former retail units around Adlington Walk as Stockroom, a new ‘Learning and Discovery Centre’.
Work is almost complete on the former Next store which will open in August this year as ‘Merseyway Innovation Centre’, a new hub for start-ups and small businesses.
Works to improve the public realm on Merseyway will be finished by the Autumn and the redevelopment of the former M&S store as ‘Stok’, comprising 62,000 sq ft of workspace, is now complete and ready for occupation.
Robertson Construction have been appointed to complete the work to the former BHS store, which the Council purchased in 2019 in order to invest in the building as part of its £1 billion regeneration plans for the town centre.
Cllr MacAlister, Cabinet Member for Economy and Regeneration at Stockport Council, said: “With the decline of many of our much-loved department stores over the years, town centres across the country are facing the issue of having, large vacant units on their hands. This news shows we can attract major high street retailers of this calibre to the town which shows real confidence in Stockport, despite challenging times.
“It’s testament to our great reputation as one of the North West’s premier locations to live, work and do business that we are still managing attract high quality new businesses to the town. The Future High Street Fund award, the Innovation Centre and plans for the former M&S unit will only strengthen our appeal.”
James Air, Head of Group Acquisitions at JD Sports, said: Stockport deserves a fantastic JD store and this prime regeneration development will deliver exactly that. We can’t wait to make such a significant investment in the town to complement our future investments in Crown Point Denton and the Trafford Centre.
JD are proud to be based in the North West and to be opening some of our very best stores in the region.
Ben Wall, Director of Property Portfolio at Poundland, said: “We’re delighted to be re-opening at Merseyway in the refurbished BHS unit.
“The new unit will allow us to bring the best we have to offer to the town centre. We appreciate the investment from the council in both the building and the wider public realm and we look forward to playing our part in the regeneration of Merseyway.
“We look forward to creating another store Stockport will be proud of.”
