The owner of the Five Valleys shopping centre in Gloucestershire has said the retail hub is close to full occupation after “a raft” of new businesses opened there.
Developer Dransfield Properties, which has invested around £30m to regenerate the complex in Stroud town centre, said it had supported the arrival of six start-up businesses, with “more announcements soon to come” at the centre’s one remaining unit.
The firm said Five Valley’s independent department store, Sandersons Boutique, had introduced a number of new boutique designer ranges to its store over the last year, including ladies’ wear brands Grace & Mila, Pretty Lavish and FRNCH, adding to listings agreed with other international fashion firms such as Levi’s, Barbour and Gloucestershire-based Superdry.
In addition, Dransfield said a recently completed £6.5m medical centre on the same King Street site, had added 50 more members of staff, taking the total workforce across the complex to around 300.
The company added the number of workers was “set to climb” as more office units opened up on site and the town's library relocates there in the spring.
Dransfield said the centre’s growth was evidence of the “resilience of bricks-and-mortar retail”, following the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the UK’s high street.
Managing director Mark Dransfield said: “Five Valleys is fast becoming a central meeting point within the town rather than a place to pass through. We have a thriving market here boasting a great selection of artisan traders and a strong eating out offer making it a popular choice for families, couples, friends and all other parts of the community to come together.
“Our need for products and services is everchanging but the drive to interact with people and experience social landscapes is consistent, if not more important to people than ever.”
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