One of Brighton and Hove's most
prestigious shopping developments
could lie empty after Asda
announced the closure of all its
George stores.
The Quadrant complex, at the bottom
of Queen's Road, Brighton, was
revamped in the summer of 2005 and it
was hoped it would become home to
distinctive high street names such as
Harvey Nichols or Ikea.
So there was a tinge of disappointment
when Asda occupied 14,794sqft
of space on the upper and ground
floors to sell its budget clothing line.
Now all stand-alone George stores
are closing as the supermarket giant
concentrates on its Asda Living format,
a chain of warehouse-style
outlets selling the company's nonfood
goods.
The Quadrant store will close in
May and the search is on to find
another major name to occupy the
site.
Soozie Campbell, city centre
manager, said one of the development's
problems was that it was not
large enough to attract a large department
store chain.
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She added: "It might not be the
worst thing to happen to the city. At
the time we would much rather have
had a John Lewis or something
similar. The site has been revamped
and now looks very attractive and I
can't see it going back to the way it
was.
"Personally, I would like to see a
brand like Ted Baker there as it is
upmarket and would mean a kudos
for the city."
Garry Peltzer Dunn, chairman of
the major projects committee on
Brighton and Hove City Council, is
also confident the site will not remain
empty for long.
He said: "It is always disappointing
when a major name goes and
especially at the Quadrant because
it is such a prominent corner.
"But it is a prestigious building and
I am certain it will attract another
flagship operator. In the short term it
is regrettable but in the long term
something even better may come.
"The city centre is extremely
buoyant."
A spokesman for Asda said the
George store at the Quadrant had
been a success and the decision to
close was not an economic one.
He added: "We are refocusing our
business on to our successful Asda
Living format. These stores will
provide a better range of George
products."
The spokesman added there was
a strong possibility an Asda Living
store could open in Brighton once a
suitable site was found.
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