GORELL Barnes are pleased to report on the economic health of Wellingborough as the country and the global economy comes out of recession.
GORELL Barnes are pleased to report on the economic health of Wellingborough as the country and the global economy comes out of recession.
Retail is often the most affected sector especially in smaller centres and towns because shoppers will visit retail stores less often but go to the bigger conurbations for wider choice.
The out of town retail parks have been trading well in Wellingborough, the original being the Tesco retail centre which has been helped with HomeBase recovering their national share of the DIY market.
The newer out of town retail park with B&Q etc has been complemented by M&S Food which has been a great draw. M&S are a pre-let for the hoped for Rushden Lakes development (of which more later).
The most exciting retail and showroom centre is Nene Court near the attractive embankment and close to the railway station etc. The owners, who trade on site, have created a superb balance and mix of retailers to complement each other but also supporting smaller companies who have no chance of being represented on the previously mentioned larger retail parks because of either size of unit and/or that they are not national multiple retailers.
Nene Court is anchored by Best Buys camping and outdoor centre that has been trading on site since the eighties and is a unique retail offer in the locality. Complementing this use, Golfing Plus has electronic technology to make it more than just a golfing shop, and the park has unique retailers like When I Was A Kid, Gift and Mochaberry card and gift boutique.
A cafe and a delicatessen allows shoppers to linger longer which benefits other traders on site including leisure/hobby occupiers like Wellingborough Cycles and the Dance Studio. Other unique retailers complement the balance of the estate including the Gun Shop and the award winning Hart Family Brewers for quality beer.
Gorell Barnes are very pleased to be offering the prime and first large unit to be available on the park being 3,645 sq ft in a very high-profile central location where the rents are about half the other retail parks. However, Nene Court has all the benefits of out of town retail including ample adjacent car parking on site, good loading and furthermore ,the added benefit of expansion potential. The Park is also most attractive being a Victorian refurbishment adding substantial ambience to the shopping experience
Elsewhere in Wellingborough, GB have under offer land on Park Farm Way which is a 31/2 acre site that we are instructed to market for Northamptonshire County Council. It is envisaged that part of this site will have some retail to provide a service type facility to complement and service the Park Farm estate like a convenience store. With the Appleby Lodge warehouse development nearby and also now progress for the 620 acres at Upper Redhill to provide 3,000 homes due to commence, there will be considerable construction worker appetite for the convenience store use proposed let alone all the permanent jobs and homes that have been created through successful promotion of Park Farm by Wellingborough Council and others over the years. This brought me to Wellingborough in 1984 and it is therefore my thirtieth year working with Wellingborough.