Budget fashion chain Peacocks has announced that its new store at Bradley Stoke’s Willow Brook Centre will open at the beginning of June.
Peacocks’ interest in opening in the town centre was first revealed in The Journal’s “Willow Brook Centre – one year on” interview with Centre Manager Scott Lahive in October last year. This was followed by news that the fashion retailer had begun advertising for staff at a “Bradley Stoke, Bristol” location in January.
Planning applications for signage and building modifications later revealed that the store would be sited in unit 3 (later changed to unit 4) of the ‘non-food retail terrace’, between the existing Brantano and Pets at Home outlets.
Shopfitters have been working on the unit for a number of weeks and it is understood that the store will incorporate a mezzanine level to increase the sales area.
The company has set a tentative opening date of Thursday 3rd June and says the venture will bring 15 new jobs to Bradley Stoke.
A spokesperson for Peacocks said:
“We are looking forward to opening at Willow Brook. It’s a great location for us and we look forward to welcoming the local community through the doors. We pledge to bring over 30 new lines to our store each week making it easier for our customers to enjoy the latest fashions and not break the bank”.
Willow Brook Centre Manager Scott Lahive added:
“Peacocks is a great new addition to our retail offer and further enforces our position as the Town Centre for Bradley Stoke. Last year we attracted around four million visitors and this will help us increase that figure for 2010.”
“We remain focused on attracting further fashion retailers and restaurants and negotiations continue on the remaining vacant units.”
The last store to open at the centre was Pets at Home in November 2009. The development has since been hit by the shock closures of Curves fitness centre (also in November 2009) and the Nationwide Building Society (in February 2010).
No disrespect to poor old BS but I thought the town centre was supposed to be a quality development, with a quality shopping experience which is how it was told to me when I bought my property (soon to be for sale??). I moved in, watched the building, lack of occupation then slowly it filled up with all the lower level elements of the high street. This combined with the pub that now appears to be unvisitable (top managment, nice clientele) and a constant source of evening disturbance and vandalism in the surrounding area. I for one am considering getting out before the burning cars take root. Might move to the mead or hartcliffe at least you don’t pay top dollar for a bottom dollar estate experience.