Iconic shopping arcade changes hands

THE 120-year-old Wayfarers Shopping Arcade in Southport has been sold by Lord Street Properties to Panther Securities, a property investment company.

LSP has owned the iconic facility for the last 40 years but it has now offloaded the arcade to Panther, well rooted in Southport via its associated company English Rose Partnerships, which bought the entire Beales Group of 29 stores a year ago.

Panther chairman Andrew Perloff said: “As a substantially family-owned company, we are very keen to invest in long standing family businesses.

“It is a great privilege to have ownership of this historic 120-year-old arcade. We saw Southport as a town worthy of investment when we purchased Beales and it is a perfect fit to add Wayfarers Arcade to our portfolio.”  

“The family which has sold Wayfarers to Panther Securities has been involved in Southport’s retail sector for more than120 years.”

In 1896 Arthur Mercy was the finance director of Broadbents Bon Marche which is now Beales.

His son-in-law Vyvian Pedlar opened a shop on Lord Street in 1929 and in 1935 he moved his business into Wayfarers Arcade (then known as the Leyland).

His three shops together became Wayfarers Arts later to be run by his son Arthur Pedlar until 1997.  

Vyvian’s other son, Anthony Pedlar was from 1963 to 1982 the managing director of Broadbents and Boothroyds Department Stores which were the two largest stores in the town.

It is the Boothroyds store that is now Beales. When Anthony died in 1982, his wife Mary took over. When the two retail stores were sold in 1990 the Pedlar family retained ownership of the property and Wayfarers Shopping Arcade under Lord Street Properties with Mary as managing director. Mary’s daughter Nicola Lynch took over as managing director 2005 with Mary as chairman.

Nicola Lynch said: “My family has played a significant part in the retailing life of Southport for many years.

“Broadbents and Boothroyds and Wayfarers Arcade have been handed down through the generations.

“The sale of the arcade is the end of an era and it will be the first time in 120 years that a member of the Pedlar family will not be contributing to the retail life of Southport.

“Lord Street Properties has spent more than £2m since 2000. In Panther Securities we have found a buyer we know will look after Wayfarers with as much care and attention as we have done over the years.”

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