But these “cathedrals of commerce,” as ilemile Zola described them in The Ladies’ Paradise of 1883, need new lives – such as art galleries, homes, community hubs and social spaces, says Save Britain’s Heritage . “In a new age where large-scale retailing is no longer viable, these delicate structures are in danger of being destroyed or even demolished.” The protection and revitalization of these buildings is not just a matter of preserving valuable and distinct architecture. is an opportunity to restore a sense of place, “says Harriet Lloyd, author of Departing Stores: Emporia at Risk. The report details 46 landmark department stores in city and town centers. Some have been restored or renovated to preserve their architectural heritage, but others are empty and in danger of being destroyed or demolished. “The same loss of relevance that former mansions, warehouses and many churches faced is now threatening for the first time a new type of building: the department store,” the report said. There were 237 vacant department stores in the UK by mid-2021, according to the British Retail Consortium and local data company. Nine of Debenhams’s 10 former stores were still empty one year after the chain collapsed, and one-fifth of the former BHS stores were empty five years after the company collapsed. The department store’s slow decline began with the creation of out-of-town shopping malls and retail parks in the second half of the last century. It accelerated sharply with the growth of online shopping, aided by increases in rents and business interest rates. Between 2006 and 2020, online sales grew to almost 20% of retail in the UK and grew further to 30% during the last two years of Covid restrictions and closures. In the first quarter of 2021, total retail vacancies were at a five-year high of 14.1%. The report says: “Department stores are some of the best and most socially important buildings on Britain’s main streets. Designed to impress and inspire, they undoubtedly have great architectural value and are a monument to the city’s historic prosperity. “ Bobby’s in Bournemouth has been successfully redefined with retail space and an art gallery. Photo: James Bridle / James Bridle Photography Marcus Binney, executive chairman of Save Britain’s Heritage, said: “There can be no great city in Britain that has not closed a department store and sometimes many. The fight is in progress for the identification and evaluation of these buildings “. Developers were also struggling to convert these buildings to new uses. Most worrying was “the number of cases where homeowners seek to level their department stores in order to secure lucrative design permits for larger new developments.” Many of the buildings presented significant conversion challenges, the report said. “Decades of ad hoc extensions, mergers and adjustments have led to labyrinthine interiors of varying levels and ceilings, disused stairs and forgotten warehouses. “Natural light – an enemy of the retailer – is essential for homes, hotels and offices and can reach nothing in the center of the floor tiles. “This can make demolition the most attractive option.” The Debenhams store in downtown Nottingham, closed from May 2021. Photo: Fabio De Paola / The Guardian Among those at risk, according to the report, is TJ Hughes in Eastbourne, which was completed in 1926 but has been empty since May 2019. The building features elegant rustic pilasters, molded carts and window panes. Plans have now been submitted for the demolition of the seaside building and its replacement with “a mild apartment building… The irreversible loss of this detailed and separate building would be a real tragedy”. In Nottingham, a former Griffin & Spalding store is “an iconic feature of the historic city center”. Its stone facade, built in 1924, is “adorned with sculpted urns, an elaborate card supported by carved cherubs and a gallery of conjugated columns.” The store was purchased by Debenhams in 1944 and closed in May 2021. “There are no future plans for this magnificent building,” the report said. But Bobby’s in Bournemouth has changed dramatically since it closed as a department store last year. In addition to a retail space, there is an art gallery, with a planned food room and a rooftop bar. The spaces include community spaces and architectural elements are being restored.
