150 jobs created in new store opening
A new store pledging to revive Ayr High Street is to open its doors this weekend.
London- based 15: 17 claim they will transform retail and leisure at the tired bottom end of town. Up to 40 units will be sub- divided and let at the former BHS store, which has been empty since 2016.
Bosses behind the project, who will make Ayr their first store in the UK, say up to 150 jobs could be created.
Ambitious plans include a bar and restaurant serving stonebaked pizzas and an Aveda hair salon with David Vault Baker is among the highlights set to anchor the new development.
A new store pledging to revive Ayr High Street is to open its doors this weekend.
London- based 15: 17 claim they will transform retail and leisure at the tired bottom end of town.
Up to 40 units will be subdivided and let at the former BHS store, which has been empty since 2016.
Bosses behind the project, who will make Ayr their first store in the UK, say up to 150 jobs could be created.
Ambitious plans include a bar and restaurant serving stonebaked pizzas and an Aveda hair salon with David Vault Baker are among the highlights set to anchor the new development.
Brands including Lambretta, London Rebel and Tokyo Laundry will all be sold.
The store’s model to provide “leisure, pleasure and community under one roof” will see up to a third of the floor space handed over to locals.
Mercier Mainwaring is the man behind the vision and boasts stints at Debenhams, M& Co and MK One.
Now he wants his model to put new life back into dying High Streets across the UK.
He said: “I’ve worked in the retail industry man and boy and its demise in this country has greatly saddened me.
“I’ve worked for the likes of Phillip Green and seen the High Street during its best times.
“But now you have companies losing huge amounts of money overnight and being forced to shut and it means we need a different way of doing things.
“Our aim is to rejuvenate towns like Ayr and offer that something different.
“We’ll have a mix of goods and services and want to provide everything from a hairdresser to a beauty salon and a creche under the one roof.”
Mainwaring says the ace in his pack is to offer an experience that keeps customers drawn in for hours, rather than minutes.
He said: “It’s a bit like having a community within a community.
“We were offered many opportunities for locations to start this venture but saw Ayr as the most attractive.
“It has exciting potential.” Doors open this Saturday following a fashion show and hairdressing exhibition for VIP guests on Thursday.
We were offered many locations but saw Ayr as the most attractive