Dunelm set to replace BHS in Solihull after new property deal agreed

MIDLANDS-based home furnishing company Dunelm is set to take the place of now-defunct BHS in a £32m Solihull shopping centre.

IM Properties has agreed a letting with the East Midlands company for a vacant 42,000 sq ft unit in the town’s Mell Square shopping centre.

The deal, secured less than two months after the space became vacant, will also provide an employment boost to the area and help replace the jobs when BHS closed down.

The Mell Square store was one of BHS’s highest grossing outlets and Dunelm plans to use the large space to showcase one of its new-look store designs – with some 20,000 home furnishing products across homewares, furniture and garden set to be displayed.

The store will also include a new ‘made to measure service for curtains, blinds and accessories with over 4,000 fabrics to choose from.

Rob Hemus, from IM Properties, said: “Whilst we were really sorry to see BHS go and the impact it would have on staff, we were always quietly confident that we’d soon have a retailer wanting to take over the prime spot.

“It’s a great testament to Mell Square’s strength as a retail destination that the unit has been let so quickly. We feel Dunelm is a name Solihull shoppers will welcome, particularly as it has invested significantly in its new design and offer.”

Steve Barton from Dunelm said: “There’s a strong retail offering in the town centre and we are excited about adding the Dunelm proposition to it.  Our new store will bring together all of our latest concepts.”

The new store is expected to open in mid-December.

IM Properties acquired Mell Square in 2013 and has since, significantly expanded its offering, spending £4m on current projects and a further £28.5m on additional properties.

 

 

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