Big brands "still interested" in buying premises in Bournemouth's Town Centre
Plans are in place to replace WH Smiths, Wildwood and Superdrug as all are set to be empty by February
Empty shops in Bournemouth’s town centre will soon be occupied as offers are reportedly ‘on the table’.
It comes as Superdrug was the latest shop to announce its closure, following the likes of WH Smiths, Wildwood and Post.
Planners recently gave the building owner of Superdrug permission to convert the existing shop into eight smaller shop units.
Bournemouth Business Improvement District (BID) CEO, Paul Kinvig told us: “Superdrug isn’t going because they think Bournemouth is terrible, it’s because the landlord is redeveloping the building.
“Two of the units the store is being broken down into have already been pre-let, so there is interest in the town centre with brands still wanting to come into those empty units.”
Despite this, residents and shoppers have still taken to social media to share their disappointment.
Some fear the lively town centre has become a “a quiet, ghost town” as more businesses struggle to cope with difficult economic climate.
But Paul Kinvig said: “I know of businesses, national brands especially, whose businesses were profitable in Bournemouth but because of the challenge that their parent company faced, it’s meant their business here has had to go.
According to Bournemouth BID, large parts of WH Smiths are currently under offer and will soon be occupied.
Meanwhile, The Botanist is expected to take over the whole top floor of Bobby’s in the near future.
Other businesses and ‘big’ brands are also said to be keen to have a base in the town centre, especially since the arrival of The Ivy.
Mr Kinvig said: “The attraction of businesses coming into Bournemouth is still there, so in the next few months, you will see empty units, filled with work being done inside.
“We just have to accept that the highstreet is changing and will continue to change but having said this, I’m confident that there'll always be a place for retail.”