New retailers lined up for Thornbury's shopping centre (From Gazette Series)

New retailers lined up for Thornbury's shopping centre

8:40am Thursday 22nd October 2009 in

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TALKS are being held with new retailers who are being lined up to move into Thornbury's shopping centre.

It comes as traders in the St Mary Shopping Centre have expressed growing concerns about the number of empty shops.

The St Mary Centre currently has seven empty units, some of which have been vacant for more than a year.

Lee Baines, from Lee's Mend-A-Shoe, who has been a trader in Thornbury for 15 years, said the empty shops were having a detrimental effect on other businesses.

He said: "When I first started you couldn’t get a shop in Thornbury for love nor money.

"Now all we are seeing is shops closing and no one coming in. We need new names and big names to attract people to the town."

Other traders, who wished to remain anonymous, have also spoken to the Gazette about their fears for the future of Thornbury town centre if the current decline continues.

One said: "I don’t think we’ll ever get Thornbury back to how it was but something needs to be done sooner rather than later."

However Howard Dawson, managing director of The Peer Group which owns the St Mary Centre, said this week that the company was doing all it could to help regenerate Thornbury, with promises of big name retailers and plans for future development.

Mr Dawson said: "We are talking to two large retailers and we have a lease which is on the point of completion for a new occupier in one of the double units and we are expecting that lease to complete this week."

Mr Dawson said there had also been discussions with a confectioners, a shoe shop and a hairdressers, which had all expressed an interest in leasing units.

"Our overall strategy is that we look to encourage a high-class café or restaurant to build on the success of Ronnie's," he said.

"We certainly think the environment would be right for some alfresco dining and we are looking to create an outside option. Strategic thinking is that we have to freshen up the centre.

"We are up against a difficult market, in terms of where the economy is at the moment, but we are very active and very concerned that we secure the best letting we can for Thornbury. We don't just want charity shops, there is a place for them, but we know there needs to be a good tenant mix."

Rowena Moncrieffe, chairman of the Thornbury Chamber of Commerce, said: "Thornbury would benefit from new businesses in the town and we all look forward to trying to support them."