City seeing retail boom
UK — Lancaster is bucking a national trend of High Street closures and is showing signs of recovering from recession, a nationwide survey suggests.
New shops are opening and the overall number of vacant units has stabilised, according to a national report on closed down stores which placed the city in the top fifth.
The Local Data Company found just 29 empty shops out of 336 city centre premises.
Two new shops – trendy gift shop Unbox in Brock Street and the Destination Cycles bike shop in New Street – were due to open this week.
And redevelopment work is under way at the former Bay Trading and Burton units in St Nicholas Arcades, with chain store Poundland expected to move in after submitting plans to Lancaster City council this week.
Meanwhile, proposals for a new £2.7m scheme to revitalise the shopping centre have now been submitted to the council.
They include a flagship two-storey Next store.
