THE Topshop and Topman store in Bradford’s Broadway shopping centre is set to close, it has been confirmed.
The announcement comes following a review by the clothing giants owners, Arcadia, into all branches with expiring leases.
A Topshop spokesperson said the 16 members of staff who worked at the store will be offered different roles within the Arcadia group.
There had been speculation earlier in the year that Arcadia boss Sir Philip Green was considering shutting down select stores permanently as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and a string of closures in the past year.
Ian Ward, general manager at The Broadway, said: “One of the number of Topshop stores closing across the country will include the unit held in The Broadway shopping centre.
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“We’re holding conversations with multiple exciting retailers and leisure providers who are keen to bring its offering to the city of Bradford. As always, we’ll announce these names when leases are signed.”
Bradford BID manager Jonny Noble said it is fair to see the national retail chain’s closure as a “concern” which has been revealed just days after the chancellor Rishi Sunak warned of a “significant recession” in the UK.
But Mr Noble remains optimistic that the city can prepare well for what he describes as a “different kind of future for the heart of Bradford”.
He told the Telegraph & Argus: “It’s always a concern when a local branch of a national retail chain closes although it’s very much in the nature of high streets generally that the brands represented come and go.
“However, the lockdown is obviously placing a great deal of pressure on retailers and others in Bradford city centre as elsewhere and I think all towns and cities are likely to see more casualties as a result of the impact of Covid-19.
“The BID, along with its partners in the city, has been working hard on plans to aid the recovery and we’re busy at the moment smartening up our key footfall areas to help ensure that the city presents its best face when the shoppers and visitors start to return.
“The new #TogetherBradfordCan initiative will also have a major impact by helping retailers, as well as leisure and hospitality providers.
“We believe that shoppers will be itching to get back to physical shopping and the social interaction it provides – within all the safety guidelines – and our aim is to give them the best possible experience in Bradford when the opportunity returns.
“But there is also a huge amount of discussion and thought going on towards working out what our city centres will be like in the future; it’s important that we find ways to make visiting them more of a place for shared social experience, providing more green and open spaces, re-purposing buildings, developing new attractions and giving people a far wider range of reasons to come and enjoy them.
“Now is absolutely the right time to be preparing for a very different kind of future for the heart of Bradford.”
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