Chadds building in Hereford set for £500,000 revamp (From Hereford Times)

Chadds building in Hereford set for £500,000 revamp by national toy store chain

7:00am Monday 29th March 2010 in News By Liz Watkins

A MAJOR £500,000 refurbishment of the former Chadds department store begins in Hereford next month.

And it has been confirmed that national toy chain The Entertainer will open its 50th shop in half of the made-over building in September.

Owners Hawkstone said there was good interest in the rest of the building from two nationally known retailers – but that they were delaying a decision because of uncertainty over the future of the Edgar Street Grid (ESG) development.

Businesses were said to be afraid to commit before knowing how much space was being offered on the ESG site and at what price.

The name of Chadds will disappear from the Commercial Road frontage and will be replaced by The Core, the new name for the building that was the centre of a Hereford family business for 79 years.

Hawkstone Properties bought the building when it closed down nearly two years ago and the West Midlands firm originally planned to open a complex of retail units a few months after its purchase.

But the credit crunch intervened, leaving the building empty, apart from a short-term lease to help cover the cost of business rates.

This week Simon Handslip, of Hawkstone, said building work was to start on April 6 and that The Entertainer was taking over half of the ground floor and basement as a toy store.

Jon Turner, of Turner and Company in Hereford, who has been involved in negotiations said The Entertainer, with stores in Worcester and Cheltenham, wanted to open its 50th shop in Hereford.

It has been in business for more than 25 years, with an annual turnover of £52 million.

It was expected to recruit for staff training in time to open in September.

Mr Turner said Hawkstone was serious about its long-term interest in the city.