New life for an old favourite

Rather than being remembered fondly as a great Sunderland institution, the Joplings legacy was, for some considerable time, being reshaped as a waste of space!

As each ambitious plan for the empty building was mooted and then unceremoniously scrapped, so the future for the site looked bleak.

Instead of being remembered as a bustling city centre department store, it was viewed by the modern generation as a wasted shell of a building.

Which is why we’re delighted to have been given an exclusive access-allareas look at Joplings big bright future.

Eight years after the famous old store closed for business, the site is to reopen as impressive new student accommodation.

And as a respectful nod to that glorious past, it has been named Jopling House. A nice touch.

The new owners, Groovy Students, have also restored the original signs and reintroduced the store clock ... albeit a more modern incarnation.

Company spokesman Steven Kwan is former Sunderland University student, so understands just how much the public thought of the Joplings site.

He told us: “Joplings is a Sunderland institution which goes back decades and it was such a shame when it went into administration in 2010.

“It would be such a shame for all that history to be lost, but we’ve managed to keep some of it, such as with the name. The public reaction to the site is so strong that the name Jopling House was a no brainer for us so that we could carry that legacy on.”

With a late night cafe also planned, it would appear the jingling of the Joplings’ tills will continue to ring... Great news!