Department store
HUNDREDS of shoppers queued outside the new Beales department store in Southport town centre as it officially opened its doors on Thursday.
Owners were overwhelmed by the response as shoppers spoke of how delighted they were to see a big department store opening in the town again. The building had been home to a department store for the past 132 years, with the building carrying signs saying ‘Beales, formerly Broadbents & Boothroyds’.
The first 150 shoppers were given vouchers of up to £200 each as they walked in to look around the three floors of retail, with ladies and mens fashions, furniture, electrical goods, bedroom furnishings, shoes, accessories, gifts, greetings cards, baby clothes, and much more besides.
A new in-store cafe is due to open in a few days’ time.
Beales CEO Tony Brown said: “We are absolutely over the moon with how the official opening has gone today!
“This is one of the busiest store openings we have ever seen.
“It is going to be down to the old adage now - use it or lose it. I hope people will come and shop in the new Beales, and support all the local businesses we have in here.
“We are very, very excited. We were delighted to see the big queue outside when we opened, and we enjoyed being able to invite customers back in again.
“We are really looking to revitalising Lord Street, which has had its troubles over the last year or so.
“The team has done tremendous work inside the store.
“Lots of local suppliers and local concessions are in here, local families are in here.
“Our businesses try to represent the towns in which they are in, not just big, national brands.
“Getting that mix right is important to us.
“We are very excited.”
The old Beales store in Southport
DAMIEN MOORE MP was among 26 across the UK which closed when the firm went into administration in March last year, as the Covid pandemic and lockdown struck the UK.
The Beales brand is now reborn, owned by New Start 2020 and headed up by Tony Brown, Chief Executive of the former Beales.
He opened a Beales in Poole in Dorset last year and a second store in Peterborough earlier this year. The new store is the first to open in the North of England, and is a real vote of confidence in Southport.
Customers however will see lots of changes in the new Beales. This time the store is hosting a number of local businesses which have opened concessions, including: Lucy Lou’s Boutique, Plaza Cards, Molloys Furnishers,
In-Time, Miss Attire, Naked Peak and others, in addition to well-known national and international brands including: Forever New, Jack & Jones, Craghoppers, Carabou, Shuropody, and many more.
It is a store that really does support