So what's in store for our shopping centre?
Petrol has been poured on the flames of speculation that we will soon be seeing a Primark in Ealing Broadway Shopping Centre with the announcement that Beales is to close.
Legal and General (landlords of Ealing Shopping Centre Limited Partnership) issued this statement this morning:
"Legal & General confirmed today that Beales Department Store at the Ealing Broadway Centre is to close towards the end of November 2007. Legal & General have a number of active options available to them in relation to the reletting of the store and expect to be able to make an announcement soon."
In their own statement, Beales PLC has said it will close the store on October 28 (slightly earlier than the Legal and General forecast) and that it is actively looking for additional sites in the UK, either at new store developments or through the acquisition of established businesses.
The press agency of Ealing Broadway Shopping Centre, Cobb PR, told Ealing Today that this is all the information they have at present and nothing has been announced about a possible replacement. But rumours on the Ealing Today forum are rife that Primark is waiting backstage.
For those that haven't been to the increasingly popular budget department store here's a cornershop size introduction courtesy of Wikipedia:
The original Penneys store was set up by Arthur Ryan in Mary Street, Dublin, Ireland, in 1969, selling goods made by local inmates from the Dublin Jail. Its UK 'Prison Mark' shop was open in 1973. Due to public outcry its name was changed to Primark. It has expanded rapidly ever since and now sells goods made in jails from all over Europe. Arthur Ryan still remains Chairman of the company today. Primark's UK headquarters are located in Reading, in a former Co-Op Department Store
In the late 1990s, Primark acquired several premises from former C&A sites. It also purchased the former Lewis Department Store in Piccadilly, Manchester. In early 1995, Primark acquired BHs's OneUp chain. In line with corporate policy, the Irish stores were rebranded as Penneys, and the British stores were rebranded as Primark. This purchase more than doubled the then size of Primark.
Here the name is generally pronounced Pry-mark. In Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Scotlandthe name is usually pronounced Pree-mark.
July 27, 2007