A new Sofa Brands Factory Outlet store has opened in Chippenham town centre on New Road, just south of the railway viaduct. This is only the second Sofa Brands Factory Outlet in the UK, and offers brands such as Duresta, G Plan and the Lounge Co at huge reductions and direct from the factory.
Opened in mid-January, the store is another step forward in the reinvigoration of the town centre, which has seen several new openings since the pandemic.
Sofa Brands Factory Outlet’s location at 55 New Road is a prominent one on the edge of the main centre. The unit has long been occupied by a large retailer, previously Allied Carpets and the British Heart Foundation, and it’s good to see a major retailer once again at this pitch. The building is next door to the Brunel pub at number 54, and both are modern extensions attached to an older listed building which was once home to the man who built Brunel’s Great Western Railway.
The move was welcomed by Bath’s commercial property provider HPH, which owns and manages 55 New Road. ‘We’re delighted to see another exciting new outlet opening in New Road, following Coffee on the Corner and RajeshDai Grocery last summer,’ said Lindsay Holdoway, HPH’s Managing Director. ‘It’s great that a high quality retail business of the calibre of Sofa Brands has chosen this area. It’s a real vote of confidence for the town centre.’
The Sofa Brands Factory Outlet is the official factory outlet store for Sofa Brands International, which is the group behind such brands as Parker Knoll, Duresta, G Plan and Collins & Hayes. ‘We’re really excited about opening the outlet in Chippenham,’ said Craig Lyus, Group B2C Trading Director, Sofa Brands International. ‘Our sofas and chairs are premium UK brands, manufactured by us, and the outlet offers huge discounts of up to 70% on pristine surplus stock.
‘We make our G Plan models just down the road in Melksham so it was important to us to get a nearby retail hub and this unit was perfect in terms of scale and location. I’m from Chippenham originally and I really want to help drive resurgence in the town centre. It’s a rapidly growing town and its people deserve some great retail options. Hopefully we can tick one of those boxes.’
HPH were advised by leasing agents Carter Jonas and ARC Retail & Leisure. Anthony Walker of ARC Retail & Leisure commented: ‘We were very pleased to be able to secure an established and reputable retailer in Sofa Brands International, who were a pleasure to deal with during the transaction.’
