A long-empty unit on one of Cardiff's key shopping streets is coming back into use. The Queen Street site between Lloyds Bank and Dominions Arcade shopping centre has been dormant since clothes shop Dorothy Perkins closed in around 2015 — but Monmouthshire Building Society has confirmed it will open there soon.
The fit-out has started and a spokeswoman for the building society said it plans to launch the branch on October 3. "We used to have a branch in Rhiwbina and we closed that a few years ago purely because we wanted a more city-centre location," she said. "We were looking pre-pandemic and then lots of things were delayed, but here we are.
"It's such a large space, which is brilliant for us. It's extremely accessible for all our members. Above the branch we will have an office that supports our hybrid working."
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Queen Street has experienced some struggles in recent years including the closures of high-profile stores Topshop and Fresh, Local & Wild. There has also been renewed optimism over plans for a market of independent traders at the Capitol Centre and over Cardiff Council's £13million project to reopen the dock feeder canal along Churchill Way as part of a Canal Quarter with retail and leisure spaces. You can read more about that here.
Monmouthshire Building Society has 22 locations, mostly in Wales. Its spokeswoman described the soon-to-open Queen Street branch as "a prime location in a main shopping street".
She added that the building society would welcome requests from community groups looking for somewhere to meet. "We have a number of meeting room-type spaces. As we do with all our branches, we like to involve the community, so if they need space to meet, that's something we're hoping we can achieve."
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