North East furniture retailer Barker and Stonehouse is set to break new ground when it opens its new £5m Tyneside flagship store.
The family firm will open the doors to its 12th store today, April 7, at the the Metrocentre Retail Park in Gateshead, where actress Joanna Lumley will perform the opening ceremony and take part in a discussion about her life and work. The new store has taken two years to come to fruition and doubles the size of its former Gateshead base, which now becomes an outlet store for the business, with nearly 50,000 sqft of retail space across three floors.
As well as creating 20 new jobs, the new shop also has a number of innovative features and, in line with the retailer’s eco-friendly approach, it has been designed with sustainability ingrained in its blueprint. Alongside Barker and Stonehouse’s latest range of furnishing, the new Gateshead store will feature an events and co-working space called The Nook with free Wi-Fi access, to encourage visitors to meet friends or work from the oak and glass hot-desk bar and lounge area. Designers and makers, interior and design influencers will also be delivering regular special events and activities in The Nook.
