Sports Direct opening date in old BHS town centre store slips again

New signage has been placed on the old BHS store in Wrexham town centre, indicating the long trailed opening of Sports Direct has slipped again.

Signage earlier this year, still in place until earlier this week, pointed to a November opening date however that has now been pushed back to the vague ‘spring’ next year.

The new store has been on the cards for over a year since new owners Mandale took over the row of long-term empty shops last year, with rumours of the ‘anchor tenant’ moving in well before then. Other regeneration is well underway with units now being let, with a retailer offering new and reconditioned small electricals, audio /visual equipment and white goods opening shortly, and a bridal and prom shop also now open on the street.

Below, signs earlier this year:

Below, signs yesterday:

Internally a huge amount of work has been taking place with the old store now completely gutted, with the old resturant sections appearing to have been removed along with large amounts of air conditioning ducting.

In December 2018 the development company Mandale said it was investing more than £4m into buying and renovating the vacant Henblas St shopping centre, having ‘sold’ the 10,000 sq ft former BHS premises to a ‘major sports retailer’ who was then set to move in ‘early’ 2019.

The shopping centre, which first opened to great fanfare in 1999, has seen a series of high profile closures in recent years, all for non-Wrexham specific reasons, starting in 2011 when TJ Hughes collapsed into administration.

Shops such as Bodycare, The Entertainer and the Post Office have all relocated elsewhere in the town – with other retailers such as Internacionale and BHS entering into administration.