The Bradley Stoke Journal

Bradley Stoke’s first-ever betting shop is set to open its doors to the public this Wednesday at the town’s Willow Brook Centre.

Fitting-out of the interior of the new Ladbrokes store is now complete and the all-important satellite TV equipment has been installed. Twenty flat screen TVs will bring live odds and sporting action to the punters of Bradley Stoke.

A countdown poster in the window of the new store suggests an opening on Wednesday 27th May, although this has not yet been confirmed by official sources. The opening comes in good time for some major sporting events over the next few weeks including the Champions League Final (27th May), FA Cup Final (30th May) and The Derby (6th June).

Elsewhere in the Willow Brook Centre, there is confusion over anticipated tenants of the new Retail Terrace after signs were switched over on two of the units. ‘Under offer’ banners appeared four weeks ago on units 3 and 5 but now the signs have been switched to show units 2 and 5.

Marketing literature shows unit 2 as being under offer to Brantano and that company has recently advertised jobs for its new store. The only other company currently known to be currently recruiting is Pets at Home, leading to speculation that fashion group New Look (also shown in the marketing literature) may have pulled out.

Ladbrokes apart, the new retailers seem in no hurry to open their stores. The units remain as empty shells, no fitting-out having been started since building firm Bowmer and Kirkland completed construction at the end of April.

Bradley Stoke’s new town centre is a step closer to completion after hoardings around the site were removed this week.

The new ‘retail terrace’ of six large non-food outlets is now fully open to public view along with two smaller units on the north-western side of the Town Square, one of which is now decorated with the Ladbrokes logo.

The route of the new bus lane along the edge of the Town Square is now fully visible and a bus stop (with shelter) has been installed in the covered section just before the junction with the public access road.

Buses will enter the site via a barrier controlled slip road off Bradley Stoke Way and proceed along the side of the mall building before skirting the Town Square and then leaving the site with a left turn onto the public access road.

As predicted earlier this week, ‘under offer’ banners have appeared on various units around the site. In the retail terrace, two units (3 & 5) are shown as under offer, with a further four units (4, 6a, 6b and 10) in the mall.

The retail terrace assignments differ from information shown in the Alder King marketing brochure, where unit 2 is shown as being under offer to Brantano and unit 3 under offer to New Look, but it is unknown at this stage whether this means that Brantano has pulled out or just chosen another unit.

Of the units under offer in the mall, unit 4 is between Carphone Warehouse and O2, while units 6a and 6b (one of which is very small) are between the mall side entrance and O2. Unit 10 is the large one at the eastern end of the mall, which also has entrances from Bradley Stoke Way and the shoppers’ car park.

The Westworld mobility and lifestyle store shown in the marketing brochure as occupying Town Square unit 8 (next to Ladbrokes) is not one of those shown as being under offer.

The tenants of the ‘under offer’ units are expected to be officially named within the next two weeks.

Animal superstore Pets at Home could be among the names as the group has recently posted job advertisements for full-time and part-time positions at its “Bradley Stoke New Store”. There has also been speculation that a bike shop might take mall unit 10, which has been reconfigured since the initial opening of the Willow Brook Centre in October 2008.

See the latest Willow Brook photos on PicasaWeb: album; slideshow.

What do you think of the range of shops and services available at the Willow Brook Centre? Which stores would you like to see there? Are you disappointed that there aren’t more community services like a post office and council drop-in centre? Let us know using our comments facility.

Fashion store New Look looks likely to feature as a key component in Phase 2 of Bradley Stoke’s Willow Brook Centre.

The news is revealed in an updated version of the Willow Brook Centre marketing brochure, available on the Alder King website, which shows unit three of the retail terrace being ‘under offer’ to the fashion group.

The Journal understands that New Look is yet to exchange contracts for the Willow Brook unit, but has agreed that its name may be used in marketing material, to help attract other potential tenants to the development.

The new store will neighbour that of shoe concern Brantano, revealed as a tenant last September when marketing literature showing the group occupying unit two of the retail terrace was distributed at a meeting of the Bradley Stoke Safer and Stronger Community Group.

Phase 2 of the Willow Brook Centre is expected to be fully open in June/July. The Westworld and Ladbrokes stores, which form a third side of the Town Square, could open earlier, but not before May.

More imminently, maths and English tuition centre Explore Learning opens it doors this Thursday (15th January) on the first floor of the Willow Brook Centre’s main building. The centre, which caters for children aged 5-14, will be open seven days a week. Membership operates on a monthly basis and includes two 75 minute sessions per week. The company is offering free trial sessions during the opening week, but places are said to be filling fast. More information on 07776 137139.

Also opening within the next seven days is the Curves ladies-only fitness and health facility. According to the company’s literature, Curves is designed exclusively for busy women who want to reach their fitness goals in just 30 minutes, three times a week. The company is offering two-thirds off its joining fee for the first one hundred applicants. The facility has its official opening on Monday 19th January. More information on 01454 270875.