Nottinghamshire shoppers have spoken of their relief as it was confirmed talks were taking place over the future of the city's former Debenham's store. The retailer, a household name for decades, went into administration in April 2019 and then went into liquidation.
Although upset at the retailer's closure, shoppers have said that they’ve been ‘fed up’ to see the building there lifeless for so long. The Boohoo Group saved Debenhams assets and brand, but the move to online-only meant that Nottingham's store closed in May 2021.
After taking over the building, owner Longmead Capital confirmed it has approached Nottingham City Council to discuss future proposals for the former Debenhams - to the delight of shoppers. 58-year-old Brenda Wheeler said: “The buildings been empty for far too long, it’s such a big building at that too, it’s time for something to be done.
“Whenever I come into town, I’m fed up with seeing it. I was gutted when Debenhams closed down, I remember British Home Stores closing too, it’s never nice but it’s time to move on.”
READ MORE: Talks taking place on future of Nottingham's former Debenhams building
Brenda, who lives in East Bridgford, continued: “I think that the building will turn into something similar to Debenhams but I couldn’t name a brand or anything like that from the top of my head popular enough to be here.” Longmead Capital has warned that drawing up plans for the building’s future will be a "lengthy process".
Maddy Chester, 30 lives in West Bridgford. Currently a full-time mum, Maddy said: “Debenhams could be absolutely anything, that’s the thing. I agree that it’s been useless for a long while but I also understand that they need to be very careful deciding what can replace a brand that did so well for so many years.”
Retired Marcus Watson, 59, from The Meadows, said: “Whatever it is, I wouldn’t like to see a restaurant, I think the city centre has got plenty of places for eating out now.
“It’s definitely good news that there are discussions regarding the building, I just hope whatever it turns into is what the majority of people would like to see.”
Previously, Hilary Silvester, the executive chair of Nottingham Civic Society, said: "It's important that we have some progress because this is a very prominent building in Nottingham given its location in relation to the Council House. I have heard that the city council could end up being based in there and I think that would be very appropriate, to have the administration and government of Nottingham in the heart of the city.”
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