New future for Gateshead's Co-op
Former Co-op department store
A £20m scheme to redevelop Gateshead's former Co-op department store is going full steam ahead. Work to convert the building into individual retail units is already well underway and it is hoped that around 70 new jobs will be created when the new development opens.
Farne Conway, a director of the London-based property firm Reef Estates, is spearheading the transformation of the old department store by overseeing its conversion into a series of separate shops.
Lettings from a number of major high street retailers have already been secured including:
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Argos;
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Peacocks;
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Bon Marche.
A further eight retailers, including a coffee shop, banks and a shoe shop, are also expected to begin trading from the new development, hopefully before Christmas.
Reef Estates have also submitted a planning application for permission to convert offices on the upper floor of the buildings to student accommodation, including the building of a whole new third floor, to provide 57 student rooms in 16 flats. A decision is expected later this year.