Downtown Grantham to press ahead with shopping village plans - and these images show you what to expect
Bosses at Downtown say Covid has not put paid to plans for a £125 million shopping village – and the aim is to have the build completed in two years.
The intention to redevelop the Gonerby Moor site into the Downtown Grantham Designer Outlet was announced in 2017, to feature 107 individual designer outlet stores, 2,000 parking spaces, offices, leisure provision and a training academy.
It was granted planning permission in February 2019, but when in January South Kesteven District Council adopted its Local Plan – which sets out development up to 2036 – the agreement had to be altered.
Managing director Richard Broadhead hopes construction will begin in 2021 and will be complete by Autumn 2022.
In this Q&A, he talks about the challenges faced by the company during the pandemic and looks to the future.
- How has Covid-19 impacted the business?
Like all retailers, we’ve had to manage a huge amount of change, but we’ve learnt to quickly adapt. As a business with a 200-year heritage, we are committed to Lincolnshire and the East Midlands, so will do everything we can to keep our business thriving.
Our teams have worked incredibly hard to make sure our stores and restaurants are Covid-19 secure and pleasurable to visit and spend time in. We requested our staff wear face coverings from the outset too - although it wasn’t a Government requirement at the time, we felt this was the right thing to do.
After the first lockdown, it was immensely satisfying to see shoppers starting to visit us again and we had some great comments from customers about their experience in our stores. We’re lucky as our locations offer plenty of space enabling our customers to safely browse at their own pace and with plenty of social distancing. We’re looking forward to seeing our customers return once again when the second lockdown ends.
Our online business, Oldrids Online, which is based in Grantham, has also grown significantly. Our dedicated online team has provided an incredible standard of service to customers far and wide. They’ve worked extremely hard throughout both lockdowns and I’m really grateful to them for their efforts.
- Has the pandemic affected your sales this year?
Generally, it’s true to say that sales have been tough. It’s been a hard year for many businesses, ours included.
Footfall since we’ve reopened has been at lower levels than the same time last year, however sales have been stronger than we thought and ahead of our expectations.
We’ve had fewer visitors, which is understandable as people are being cautious, but visitors have been more focused on what they want to buy.
- What have you found most challenging over the last 12 months?
Our business is nothing without its people, so any plans that have affected them have been the most difficult.
Many of your readers will have seen the news regarding the potential permanent closure of the original Oldrids department store in Boston. This is the store where the history of the business all began back in 1804. It has become increasingly difficult for traditional large department stores in town centre locations to make a profit, which is why so many have already been lost. The decision by M&S to vacate the town added to the already challenging trading environment and the resulting drop in footfall was damaging.
The stark, unvarnished truth is that, even before coronavirus, the store hadn’t returned a profit for several years. Very reluctantly, and despite the best efforts of everyone involved in operating the store, we felt we had no option but to propose its permanent closure. If it goes ahead, we recognise the impact this will have on our teams and their families as well as the wider community, so this has been a particularly difficult process for our Board of Directors.
- Has the pandemic affected your plans for the Downtown Grantham Designer Outlet?
Downtown Grantham Designer Outlet remains a key focus for us all and we are completely committed to delivering the project. We’ve been planning this important investment for Grantham for over three years and, now more than ever, the 1,700 jobs we’re expecting to create are vital for the area.
Outlet centres are a major part of the retail industry and often perform well when other parts of the sector are trading more slowly. Far from being put off by the pandemic, many brands are keen to support outlet centres and see them as an important part of their business model, so their interest in securing space at Downtown Grantham Designer Outlet remains strong.
Our proposal also offers many additional benefits that are very attractive to retailers, including a highly accessible and well-established location combined with a leisure offer creating a major destination that is projected to attract an additional three and a half million visitors to the area.
- Can you bring us up to speed on any updates in relation to the Downtown Grantham Designer Outlet?
In January this year, South Kesteven District Council adopted a new Local Plan. As a matter of procedure, this required us to update some of the development’s planning application documents. We’ve worked extremely hard throughout this year, along with our professional advisors, to complete this task and are now working with the council to drive things forward as quickly as possible.
We expect a Section 106 Agreement to be signed very soon – this is a legal document that outlines the investment Oldrids & Downtown will make into the local area to improve transport infrastructure, road and car park signage, public transport, town centre facilities, tourism, education and training. Although the pandemic has temporarily delayed some activities, we have also been working hard behind the scenes to actively market the scheme and have agreed detailed designs of stores for specific retailers.
We hope to be able to begin announcing, next year, the names of retailers who are joining the scheme.
- What will Christmas 2020 look like at Downtown?
Our teams have worked hard to bring Christmas to life in our Downtown Garden Centre, which continues to trade, and we look forward to reopening our Downtown stores next week, from December 2, when the latest lockdown is lifted.
To ensure social distancing and Covid-19 compliance, we have taken a cautious approach but are still creating a truly magical experience. Although there will be no Santa’s Grotto or our famous Snow Globes this year, there will be some exciting highlights for children and grown-ups alike including a giant, talking Snow Owl, seasonal tasty treats in our restaurants, and the biggest choice of Christmas trees in the whole of Lincolnshire.
I think I speak for many people when I say that we’re now ready to focus on enjoying a safe and happy Christmas, putting 2020 behind us and looking forward to welcoming a New Year and a bright future.
- What are your plans for 2021?
This year has shown the world how hard it can be to plan for the future, but our focus will always remain the same.
As a local family business with a long history, we want to continue investing our energy into developing and growing our presence in Grantham.
We will be making sure our stores continue to offer our customers an easy and stress-free shopping experience with extensive product ranges.
We also have a key celebration in the diary for March 21, 2021 to mark the 21st birthday of our garden centre as our original 20th anniversary plan had to be postponed this year because of the pandemic. This will involve all the activities we had originally planned, including the return of Charlie Dimmock, who cut the ribbon to open the garden centre back in 2000.
Next year will also be a really important one for Downtown Grantham Designer Outlet. We’ll be advancing discussions with premium retailers and aim to begin construction in 2021 with completion scheduled for Autumn 2022.
