The Debenhams building in Bournemouth is to be replaced by a department store that closed in the seaside town nearly 50 years ago.
The building’s new owners, development firm Verve Properties, have announced plans to restore the former Bobby’s department store in The Square, in the town’s centre, and create a retail hub with “local, independent, and socially conscious” businesses.
Bobby's was first opened by provincial department store group Bobby & Co in 1915. As part of the building's restoration, the 1933 shop entrance is also set to be reinstated.
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Debenhams confirmed that its Bournemouth store, which took its name in 1972, was among its retail stores set to close for the final time in mid-May, following the company’s collapse and subsequent sale of its website and brand to online fashion retailer Boohoo, in a £55m rescue deal.
The first elements of the new store are scheduled to open in July, with more set to follow throughout the year and into 2022.
An independent beauty operation, Bobby’s Beauty Hall, will be among the first outlets to open, along with an ice-cream and coffee parlour, and a dog café in the nearby Lower Gardens.
The first floor of the store is set to house a food and market hall, which will be revealed from The Square with the opening of the building's large first floor windows.
The second floor will feature an art gallery and there are plans to open spa facilities in 2022.
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Accessed from Terrace Road, old buildings at the rear will be reorganised to create a garden area and microbrewery bar, while there are also plans in place to open a fourth floor restaurant and roof terrace bar.
Verve Properties said that it hoped its commitment to restore the storied Bobby’s brand in Bournemouth would be welcomed by residents and visitors.
Ashley Nicholson, director of Verve Properties said, “Bobby’s has historically always been at the heart of the town centre and the community. When we started our research into the history, we kept unearthing how bedded into the community the building was.
“We also found much of the architectural detail had survived but was covered up - so we took inspiration from that and have sought to restore what we can to bring back the grandeur of this iconic building, whilst the same time introducing some modernity to make it fitting for today.”
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In celebration of the building’s original architectural style, its copper domes will be repaired, its flagpoles reinstated while its 1970s canopy will be removed and replaced by the original design. New ornate first floor balconies will be put in to match the ones currently installed.
Verve Properties said it would look to ensure the regeneration of the department store reflected the changes the coronavirus pandemic has accelerated in social and shopping patterns.
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Mr Nicholson said: “If shoppers are going to be tempted back into town centres, then retailers need to value three key elements in any new structure and design.
“The first is to consider what kind of shopping experience people will still want to happen ‘in real life’ - beauty, clothing and footwear are good examples of retail that people want to try out in person.
“The second element should focus on how to make the shopping experience a fun and enjoyable one. The third should be to remember that ultimately town centres are there to serve the local community."
He said it would "take time" to deliver Bobby’s back to its former glory as the building had "suffered a lack of investment over many years".
He added: "The patience and support of the community this project can play a significant role in the re-imagining of the town centre in a post-Covid world.”
Bobby & Co was founded when Frederick James Bobby bought a drapery store in Margate, Kent, in 1887. In the early 20th century the business expanded, opening in mostly seaside towns across the south of England.
The business later became part of retail group the Drapery Trust, from which Debenhams had emerged by the 1950s. Debenhams rebranded all of its subsidiaries, including Bobby’s in Bournemouth, in the early 1970s.