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03
Feb
Well-known retailer prepares for return to Ripon
Signage is now in place at the prime Ripon location where the Edinburgh Woollen Mill will soon be opening a store.
The retailer formerly traded from premises in Market Place East, which closed in 2020, but the well-known high street brand is returning to the city and will be located in the former Halifax Bank building next to Ripon Town Hall on Market Place South.
Signs in the window say the store will be opening soon and vacancies for staff, including a manager, have been advertised on job recruitment sites.
Last month, the Stray Ferret revealed that retail giant Next is to open a store later this year in two units at the St Michael's Retail Park in Rotary Way, where M&S Simply Food is curently exanding its floorspace.
The two units that Next will be taking at St Michael's Retail Park in Ripon.
Lilla Bathurst, manager of the business support organisation Ripon BID, welcomed the new entrants along with a number of independent traders that have opened in the city since the New Year.
She pointed to the fact that there is a strong level of investment in Ripon and said:
In March 2024 we had a 12% vacancy rate in the city centre and we currently have a 7% vacancy rate - a 5% drop. This compares with the national average that stands at 14%.
While we know of some units that will become vacant shortly we are seeing good investment levels in Ripon and the BID is in touch with businesses who would like to come into Ripon and with current Ripon businesses who are looking to expand.
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