An independent business owner in Cabot Circus has said he wants to move his business after losing thousands of pounds since the start of the year. Independent store Mila Plants swapped his Quakers Friars location for the shopping centre in January but says it has lost footfall, which it claims is related to noisy, obstructive renovation work at a neighbouring unit.
Owner of Mila Plants, Sam McKay, said revenue has halved since they arrived at the shopping centre, having been invited to move from their previous pop-up nearby. He believes the dip in trade is predominantly due to the works at the bank next door, which closed for refurbishment just before Mila Plants reopened.
Sam said he was unaware of the upcoming building work and that the hoarding erected outside of the bank was between 1.5m to 2m in depth and “completely blocked the view of the shop” from the main entrance. His frustration is not with the bank but with the shopping centre's owner Hammerson, claiming he was not made aware of the works prior to moving in.
