An architect proposes bringing big brands like Zara and John Lewis to Preston in miniature form, creating a unique 'try-before-you buy' shopping experience.
A Preston architect says the city could stake its claim as an alternative shopping destination to Manchester and Liverpool by bringing big brands to the high street – but in miniature form. John Bridge has floated the idea of “micro-retail” spaces for high-end names like fashion chain Zara and department store John Lewis within his vision for the redevelopment of the site currently occupied by St John’s Shopping Centre.
It has been put into the public domain as one of the firm’s so-called “golden egg” designs – created for the good of Preston in the hope of sparking a conversation about a potential future project. John told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that a big part of his proposal was about stemming the flow of Lancashire shoppers drawn to the likes of the Trafford Centre and Liverpool One when they wanted to visit retailers who do not have a presence in the county.
If that particular retail line-up were ultimately realised, it would see John Lewis finally arrive in the city 15 years after the collapse of the ill-fated Tithebarn Project, which would have had the iconic high-street name at its heart. However, John says any redevelopment of St. John’s – which opened its doors back in 1965 and currently boasts around 20 retailers, offering mostly everyday essentials – needs to be about more than shopping.
“From a footfall point of view, if you’ve got some really nice restaurants, apartments and hotels in the city, another reason for having a trip to a place would be to relax and unwind – and to have somewhere where you can have treatments and it not be all about alcohol and food.
Micro-Retail Shopping Preston Manchester Liverpool
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