From jamie.goodwin@hullcc.gov.uk | Monday 8 June 2020
Hull commercial developer Wykeland Group lets former New Look unit to growing independent retailer.
A new occupier has been found for a vacant retail unit in Whitefriargate in Hull city centre
Hull commercial developer Wykeland Group announced it had acquired the building along with the former Marks and Spencer store last week.
The firm has now let the 35,000 sq ft former New Look unit to growing independent retailer Durham Bed Centre.
The historic Hull street that has been highlighted by Hull City Council as a priority area for regeneration.
Hull City Council has already secured £2.75m in grants from Historic England and the Humber LEP to go towards its regeneration.
It is also one of the initial 50 shortlisted targets for the Government’s Future High Street Fund, which could secure up to a further £22m investment.
Durham Bed Centre is the north-east’s largest independent bed and furniture retailer, wholesaler and manufacturer with seven stores in the region.
The store is set to open on June 15, for the first time since New Look closed in March.
Music and entertainment retailer HMV is due to re-open following its temporary closure because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Wykeland property director David Donkin said: “The arrival of Durham Bed Centre will bring additional footfall to Whitefriargate as shops and other businesses re-open following the Covid-19 disruption.
“We’re very pleased to have brought this vacant unit back to life so quickly. This reflects the short-term strategy we envisaged when making these acquisitions, while we consider the longer-term re-purposing of the buildings as part of a broader picture of regeneration and reinvention for Whitefriargate and Hull city centre.”
