• Swindon & Wiltshire Retail
• Thursday April 10 2025

Salisbury BID appoints new CEO

Salisbury BID, the organisation charged with running the city’s business improvement district, has appointed its new CEO. Eleanor Burke has been promoted to the top spot from her previous role as marketing and communications manager for the organisation. In […]

• Swindon & Wiltshire Retail
• Friday March 28 2025

WHSmith to disappear from high streets after £76 million sale

A ubiquitous name in Britain’s town centres will disappear after Swindon-headquartered retailer WHSmith agreed to sell its high street business to Hobbycraft owner Modella Capital for £76 million. Modella says it will rebrand the 480 shops as TGJones – […]

• Swindon & Wiltshire Retail
• Wednesday February 19 2025

Boxing clever: Chippenham furniture retailer looks to US for growth

Chippenham furniture retailer Furniturebox is looking to the US for growth amid challenging conditions in the domestic market caused by ‘persistent cost of living concerns’. The retailer announced a return to profit this week, following a £1,030,530 loss the […]

• Swindon & Wiltshire Retail
• Tuesday January 28 2025

Developer submits plans to demolish Chippenham shopping centre

Plans to redevelop Chippenham’s Emery Gate shopping centre have been submitted by the site’s new owners. The Chippenham Riverside scheme is billed by the applicants as “The largest economic investment Chippenham Town Centre has seen in decades.” Acorn Property […]

• Swindon & Wiltshire Retail
• Thursday August 1 2024

Health food cafe The Core returns to Swindon’s Old Town

Juice bar and health cafe The Core has returned to Swindon’s Old Town. The Core was displaced by the expansion of tapas restaurant Los Gatos, but recently reopened within the premises of nearby cafe Jacks. Kris Talikowski, who opened […]

• Swindon & Wiltshire Retail
• Wednesday July 10 2024

Marlborough voted Britain’s Number 1 High Street by readers of The Times

Readers of The Times have voted Marlborough as their favourite high street in a new poll. The town saw off competition from Sherborne in Dorset, Northallerton, North Yorkshire, Wells in Somerset, Lincoln, Ludlow in Shropshire, and Rye in East […]

• Swindon & Wiltshire Retail
• Monday March 11 2024

Retailers and councillors make plans to improve Malmesbury High Street

An initiative designed to plan and shape the future of Malmesbury High Street and its surrounding trading areas has taken a step forward. Malmesbury Town Team and Malmesbury Town Council have jointly hosted local business owners and town council […]

• Swindon & Wiltshire Property
• Tuesday January 30 2024

Sofa Brands Factory Outlet moves into former carpet showroom in Chippenham

A new Sofa Brands Factory Outlet store – the second in the UK – has opened in Chippenham. The firm, which stocks Duresta, G Plan and Lounge Co direct from the factory, has moved into the former Allied Carpets […]

• Swindon & Wiltshire Retail
• Monday January 22 2024

Queen visits one of Swindon’s oldest businesses and domestic abuse charity

The Queen visited Swindon today (Monday), helping one of its longest-established businesses to celebrate its 175th anniversary before hearing about the work of a domestic abuse charity, which is also marking an important milestone. Queen Camilla called in at […]

• Swindon & Wiltshire Property
• Thursday January 18 2024

Military links to Royal Wootton Bassett marked at official opening of auction house

The strong relationship between the military and Royal Wootton Bassett was recognised when RWB Auctions‘ £3 million auction house and gallery was officially opened this week. Auction house founder Jon White and his team, welcomed group captain Mike Neville […]

• Swindon & Wiltshire Retail
• Friday January 5 2024

Cars barred from Chippenham Market Place following pedestrian safety concerns

A gated entrance to Chippenham Market Place is to be reinstated to prevent cars from entering the pedestrian zone and hitting pedestrians. The Market Place already has a Traffic Regulation Order in place to prevent all motor vehicles from […]

• Swindon & Wiltshire Retail
• Thursday January 4 2024

Wiltshire Council launches £500,000 grants scheme to bring empty shops back into use

Wiltshire Council has launched a new £500,000 grants scheme in a bid to bring empty shops back into use. The Vibrant Wiltshire grants programme, which is part of the Wiltshire Towns Programme, opens this month and will be available […]

• Swindon & Wiltshire Property
• Wednesday November 29 2023

Swindon’s vacant Debenhams store to become a warehousing facility

Swindon’s former Debenhams department store is to become a storage hub to meet the demands of last-mile delivery and warehousing in the rapidly changing world of modern retail. The change comes after Swindon Council planners gave an application by […]

• Swindon & Wiltshire Economy
• Friday November 17 2023

Two-thirds of retailers in the South West say the ‘double whammy’ of spiralling interest rates and inflation will hit peak trading in the run-up to Christmas – survey

Two-thirds of retailers in the South West say the ‘double whammy’ of spiralling interest rates and inflation will hit peak trading in the run-up to Christmas, according to a new survey. More than four out of ten sellers (41 […]

• Swindon & Wiltshire Economy
• Monday November 6 2023

Salisbury BID wins a third term to bring improvements to city

Salisbury BID has won a third five-year term to improve the business environment in the city. A ballot on whether to renew the Business Improvement District saw 92 per cent of respondents voting in favour, on a turn-out of […]