Good, but not so good

Whilst it’s clearly good news in some ways that Debenhams’ Swindon store is to receive a £1.5M refit, in other ways it’s not so good. Not so long ago, Debenhams was to be the flagship store in the Regent Place development. That failed. That they’re now choosing to refit their existing store, whilst it may indicate a commitment to Swindon, shows that plans for something greater are now well and truly buried.

It looks as though rather than waiting for the council to replan its stalled town centre regeneration, the retail industry has already made its decisions and moved on.