Big new Next store for Stafford

joshua

Well-Known Forumite
http://www.expressandstar.com/news/...t-store-will-mean-up-to-50-jobs-for-stafford/

A Next clothing store in Stafford will be knocked down and the outlet moved into a combined fashion and home store nearby, creating 50 new jobs.

crop-551bbde043c77-imgID10975438.jpg

The Next Home store at Queensville Retail Park, Stafford, will be knocked down and replaced with a huge new site in a move creating up to 50 jobs

Plans have been approved to demolish the fashion shop on Queensville Retail Park and to move it in with Next Home, which is also on the Silkmore Lane retail site .
The company plans to extend the unit 11, currently Next Home and sell all products from the one combined outlet.
It is not known what will happen to the site of the demolished Next clothing store.

The development will mean a £7m investment to the area, according to Hercules Unit Trust, which submitted the plans.
The trust owns of the shopping site and were approved by Stafford Borough Council.
Next took over the current clothing store in 2008 and opened the home store in 2010.
The extension of the current home store and the changes to the layout of the car park will mean the loss of 52 spaces.
A cafe will also be included in the new store.

However, developers claim the new development will deliver ' a high quality well designed building that will complement and enhance the retail park'.
The new extended 'dual format' store will sell women's wear, menswear and children's wear, as well as a Next Home store, selling furniture and home furnishing goods.
The store will also have separate entrances for the fashion departments and the home range and the company had also hoped to introduce its 'home and garden' store, including an external garden centre but there is not enough space at the site to accommodate an external garden centre.
The new extended store will be open next year. Other retailers on the site include Hobbycraft, New Look, Pets at Home, Matalan, Mothercare, Brantano, Poundstretcher, and ASDA Living.
 

bpelectric

Well-Known Forumite
52 parking places is a lot to lose down there it could mean a loss of 200 potential customers through a busy day
 

Carole

Well-Known Forumite
I like next clothes and furniture so I must be very dull.
 
Last edited:

PeterD

ST16 Represent.
Next always seems busy when I am in there, apologies, I am a dull person, so I can understand the business decision.
 

markpa12003

Well-Known Forumite
I like Next, however I do find some of their stuff extremely overpriced. I am fully supportive of the proposed development, however I was a little confused by the statement that the existing next store is to be demolished. I assume that this is incorrect given that the store is perfectly fine as it is and could be readily occupied by a new operator with limited fit out costs required. Furthermore, Next do not own the store and, therefore, it would be up to the owner of the estate to determine what they do with it, not Next.
 

John Marwood

I ♥ cryptic crosswords
I like Next, however I do find some of their stuff extremely overpriced. I am fully supportive of the proposed development, however I was a little confused by the statement that the existing next store is to be demolished. I assume that this is incorrect given that the store is perfectly fine as it is and could be readily occupied by a new operator with limited fit out costs required. Furthermore, Next do not own the store and, therefore, it would be up to the owner of the estate to determine what they do with it, not Next.

4eaj8Dn.jpg
 

Carole

Well-Known Forumite
I was a little confused by the statement that the existing next store is to be demolished. I assume that this is incorrect given that the store is perfectly fine as it is and could be readily occupied by a new operator with limited fit out costs required. .

The way I read it is that the clothing store will be taken over by another retailer.

Next HOME will be demolished and then rebuilt to make one large store.
 

markpa12003

Well-Known Forumite
Carole, that's what I would expect to happen however the article states:-

Plans have been approved to demolish the fashion shop on Queensville Retail Park and to move it in with Next Home, which is also on the Silkmore Lane retail site .
 

Carole

Well-Known Forumite
Carole, that's what I would expect to happen however the article states:-

Plans have been approved to demolish the fashion shop on Queensville Retail Park and to move it in with Next Home, which is also on the Silkmore Lane retail site .

So it does.

The first line says that the home store will be demolished , the second line says the fashion store....so they are knocking them both down?
 

1JKz

Well-Known Forumite
Forget that typo, it's the 50 new jobs I don't understand, on top of what they employ now, it's not possible.

I think what that meant was in total - 50 jobs will be provided - when the venture is finished. So, the clothes store employs perhaps 28 and the furniture store 21, so erm...!

Why is the new job dung heap always at the forefront of an article, when they're reporting on "development"?

They best hope a Primark doesn't move in to the vacant property, when they move out.
 

Wormella

Well-Known Forumite
It's an interesting tactic - I'm no massive fan of Next, it has it's place but I often think it's overpriced - but that's by the by. I live next to Queens Retail Park and often go for a browse - but sometimes Next Home seems a long walk and out of the natural browsing route. On the basis Next Home always seems much, much quieter then slightly squashed Next Clothing I can see the thinking behind combining them both on the other side of the retail park. Combining them together might well generate more jobs - since there will be a cafe etc - I think @Goldilox helped open the Starbucks in the Next store at Junction 9 (I'll laugh if it's another Costa since that's what cafe at the Asda home sells too).

And then of course there is a question of who will fill the empty store, in what's a very busy retail park. What would you like to see?
 
Top