Long-standing furniture business sells town shop

Long-standing furniture business sells town shop

The Furnishing Centre on Victoria Street, which has since transferred its stock to its two stores based in St John Retail Park, blamed issues surrounding customer parking for the decision.

Director Clive Broadhead, who set up shop in the orange-fronted building in 1987, said he had sold the store to a developer, but remained tight-lipped about who was intending to build on the site.

However, he said that the developer, who bought the building for a six-figure sum, had suggested creating about 12 apartments on the plot.

Mr Broadhead, who runs the business with wife Anne, said: ‘It is the first shop I had. We did really good business there for a number of years. We were sorry to leave.’

He added that the shop suffered a decline in customers following changes to parking in the area. Mr Broadhead, who also runs La Casa and St John’s Sofa Warehouse in St John Retail Park, said that the loss of the nearest car park to the shop at Gas Place, as well as the re-zoning of the street, had proven problematic.

‘We mainly closed it because of parking issues,’ he added. ‘They made the whole street residents’ parking and in front of the shop they put an unloading bay. Nobody could pull up outside.

‘Everyone says there is nowhere to park.’

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