North East furniture firm Barker and Stonehouse has announced it will close its Newcastle city centre store as it moves towards the opening date for a new flagship base.
The Stockton home furnishings company says the Newcastle shop, where it has traded since 1998, will close in March following a number of changes in the way it trades on Tyneside. The firm is investing in a new store at the Metrocentre Retail Park in Gateshead, which is set to open on April 7, this year.
Managing director James Barker says there are no plans to open elsewhere in the city centre because of the firm’s sizeable investment in Gateshead, coupled with the success of its partnership with nearby department store Fenwick. The firm launched its partnership with fellow North East retail stalwart Fenwick last summer, when it opened new in-store concepts within the company’s stores in Newcastle and Kingston.
