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The Works opens its doors to new location!

Posted: Friday 05th May

Retailer moves at Freshney Place as redevelopment scheme edges closer

The Works opens its doors to new location

 

Freshney Place is welcoming a number of changes as it moves closer to its redevelopment plans to be a contemporary leisure, retail and mixed use offering for the community.

 

The Works, the UK’s leading family-friendly value retailer of gifts, arts, crafts, toys, books and stationery, opens its doors to its new location today. They operate 527 stores in the UK and Republic of Ireland, employing 3,800 employees with an ambition to inspire reading, learning, creativity and play. Positioned adjacent to Boots and BB’s, it will provide customers with a contemporary and stylish layout, from which to showcase its huge variety of products.

 

A number of tenants have been relocated in recent months, vacating space at the western end of the centre, where works are expected to get underway later this year. Segal’s Jewellers has opened its doors to a new, state of the art store, located opposite M&S and near to Primark. Following significant investment by the owners, the high quality refurbishment mirrors Segal’s flagship store in Hull.

 

Glitz and Glam, the popular, independent retailer selling a wide range of fashion items and accessories, has also moved to new premises opened next to Millie’s Cookies. Mint, formerly Bootroom, owned by husband and wife team Lee and Vicky Shakespeare, has opened its doors with a wide variety of sports shoes including collector’s items such as the rarest Nike Air Jordan’s and Adidas Yeezy trainers.

 

Other retailers including Eurochange, Stitch Express and Card Factory are also due to relocate within the centre to new stores in preparation for the leisure scheme development within the coming months.

 

In addition to the many relocations, new retailer Fone Planet, has also joined the centre, taking a unit located opposite Poundland. They offer a wide range of mobile phone accessories, mobile and tablet repairs, in addition to personalised items.

 

Amanda Austin, centre director said: “It’s incredibly positive that so many of our retailers, independents and national chains are continuing to commit and invest in Freshney Place. We are relocating tenants as we move closer to the redevelopment of the shopping centre and working closely with them to make the process as smooth as possible.

 

“Freshney Place has played an important role in the local community for decades and is a popular destination, receiving thousands of visitors each week. It also has an important role, supporting the local economy, through the employment opportunities it offers.”

 

Over the next three years Freshney Place will transform to offer a new cinema, market hall, leisure and food offering. With an average of125,000 visitors each week. It is the largest covered shopping centre in Lincolnshire and supports 1,700 full and part time jobs.

Jeremy Smith, Property Director at The Works, said: “We are delighted to be opening at a new location in Freshney Place Shopping Centre today which is such a popular hive of retail activity.”

“At The Works, we aim to inspire reading, learning, creativity and play and our stores play a very important part in this. Customers visiting our Freshney Place store in Grimsby will be able to shop the products they love including Peppa Pig, Paw Patrol and brand new books by authors such as Julia Donaldson. We can’t wait to welcome new and existing customers from Grimsby and the surrounding areas through the doors of our relocated store”