1:00pm Friday 22nd August 2008
TALKS are under way to bring a major retailer to a city centre shopping complex, after supermarket chain Waitrose moved out.
The upmarket company left The Gates shopping centre, in Durham, after running at a loss for two years.
The store, one of the biggest in the complex, closed on Saturday.
On Wednesday, a spokeswoman for ING Real Estate, which owns The Gates, said she was hopeful a new tenant would be confirmed very soon.
She said: "We are in negotiations, but we're not able to say anything about them at this time. We're very excited about the new tenant."
Waitrose was the only supermarket in Durham city centre, although there are smaller Marks & Spencer and Tesco outlets.
Keith Crowther, chairman of the Durham City Chamber of Trade, said it was very important the unit be filled as soon as possible.
Mr Crowther said a survey he conducted three months ago found there were 28 vacant shops in the city centre.
"It's disappointing from a visitor's point of view that they are going to see such a number of vacant shops.
"I'm sorry to see it (Waitrose) go and I'm sorry such a large shop unit in the middle of the city is going to stand empty, for however long.
"But it might not be all bad.
It might give the owners the chance to offer something different and bring more people into Durham."
The Gates shopping centre occupies a flagship position in Durham, but eight of its 46 units are unoccupied.
Waitrose occupied 18,000sq ft and employed 103 people, or "partners". A spokesman for the supermarket said just under half had been transferred to a new branch in Newcastle, opening next week.
"There has been a natural reduction through people leaving.
However, those partners who didn't transfer have received a redundancy package."
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