Improvements in store following retail partnership

12/05/2010

A partnership approach by two well-known local retailers has delivered improved stores for their customers and helped to brighten the Jameson Street area in the city centre.

The expansion programme has seen Tony’s Textiles move into a new site which is big enough for the company to add to its services.

Meanwhile the company’s former premises on the ground floor of Tivoli House, South Street, have been taken by next door neighbour Heron Foods for the latest phase of the development.

The moves were brokered by Garness Jones, which acts for the owners of Tivoli House, and followed the redevelopment of the former Skeltons shop and café after its takeover by Cooplands.

“We were in discussions with Cooplands about their plans for improving the site, which have gone very well,” said Simon Grainger, the retail and leisure specialist at Garness Jones.

“We knew Tony’s Textiles wanted to expand within the city centre, and we were aware of Heron Foods’ development over the past year.

“So when we managed to secure vacant premises in Jameson Street for Tony’s Textiles, everything followed from there.”

Tony Kirby, of Tony’s Textiles, said the move to Jameson Street has brought significant benefits to his business. I am extremely pleased with the move to Jameson Street, which has allowed us to have the real benefit of a joint showroom and store,” he said.

“This has also given us the opportunity to make made-to-measure curtains, which we were unable to do in our former premises. It has also meant the city centre business is thriving, as well as our increasing Internet business which is going from strength to strength”.

Heron Foods, which last year moved its Beverley store into bigger premises and is now planning a similar move in Cottingham, saw the newly-vacated South Street site as another opportunity.

“With Tony’s Textiles looking to move out of the property into larger premises, we saw this as the perfect opportunity to expand our city centre outlet which has consistently performed well for us over the last few years,” said Jonathan Laverack, the company’s estates director.

“We are now looking to rebfurbish and occupy the unit in the near future to take advantage of this additional space.”

Simon added: “At Garness Jones we liased with the occupiers but the big feature of the deal was the ability of the two local businesses to work in partnership. The fact they knew each other was a big help. They worked together on things like the timing of the move and that’s really what made it happen.”

Links

Garness Jones

 www.garnessjones.co.uk