Rochdale Council council has stepped in to support businesses in the Wheatsheaf after the building’s owners announced that they would not be reopening the shopping centre after the national lockdown.
The MCR Property Group announced the shopping centre’s closure, as the high street continues to suffer from the ongoing impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Businesses which front onto Yorkshire Street (The British Heart Foundation, Fulton Foods, Greenwoods Menswear, H&T Pawnbrokers and Craze) will remain trading in their current location and Modern Nails have already relocated to 32 Yorkshire Street. But the rest will need to find a new home if they are to continue trading.
Now, the council has joined forces with the Rochdale Development Agency (RDA) and Rochdale Business Improvement District (BID) to support the affected businesses and help secure their livelihoods wherever possible.
Businesses will be able to claim a council grant to help them fit out any new unit they find, with financial support also available to help store stock in the meantime.
Rochdale Council leader Allen Brett, said: “We’re sorry that MCR Property Group were not able to make the Wheatsheaf shopping centre work. Changing shopping habits have been impacting the high street for some time and now COVID-19 has hit, it’s had a truly devastating impact, as news of the collapse of the Arcadia Group collapse this week also highlights.
“We know that these factors, and other problems like high businesses rates, are beyond our control and there’s a limit to what we can do as a local authority. But we want to support local businesses and jobs as much as we’re able to. This grant funding will hopefully make it easier for these businesses to find new premises and continue to trade and contribute to our local economy, as they have done for so many years.”
While Peacocks has gone into administration and New Look and Select are in Company Voluntary Arrangements (CVAs), the council, RDA and BID have made contact with the other businesses to offer them the financial support. They are also helping the businesses find alternative premises by brokering conversations with building owners.
Councillor Brett added: “Grants, when we are able to offer them, are only one of the ways we support people economically. We also help residents access jobs and training opportunities in a number of ways, including through our employment links team. This team supported 450 people into employment and helped a further 1,450 access qualifications in the last financial year and they’re working really hard to help people who have lost their jobs during this awful pandemic and match them to new opportunities.”
