Homeware chain opens for business at retail and leisure centre

Following confirmation of two new independent store signings last month, owners of The Springs out-of-town retail and leisure centre in Leeds have made a further agreement with Dunelm.

The retailer has agreed a deal to occupy a prominent 18,362 sq ft sales store with mezzanine at The Springs.

It will be Dunelm’s first new smaller format store in the country and its first paperless receipt store.

Steve Barton, director of property at Dunelm, said: “We will open a new store at The Springs Leeds on 1 April 2022.

“We chose The Springs due to its high-quality environment, and great transport and infrastructure links. It is an ideal scheme for us to launch our new format store that is around half the size of our standard superstore.”

Since opening its first store in Leicester in 1984, Dunelm has expanded across the country making it the UK’s largest homewares retailer with over 175 stores and employing over 9,000 staff nationwide.

The Springs is a 350,000 sq ft shopping and leisure attraction located at business destination, Thorpe Park Leeds.

Adam Varley, director at Scarborough Group International (SGI), which is responsible for the development and asset management of The Springs and Thorpe Park Leeds, said: “The new Dunelm store complements our existing operators for high quality, good value homewares where shoppers can also enjoy a bite to eat, take in a movie or a game of adventure golf at Puttstars.

“Its unique location in the centre of a well-established business park gives it an added edge over other competing out of town retail destinations and is one of the reasons why national and independent retailers are keen to use it as a test bed for new concept stores or flagship premises.”