AS St Helens gears up for transformative regeneration plans, there has been plenty of movement around the town centre and Church Square shopping centre of late.
Much of this movement has been instigated by the pending closure of the Hardshaw Centre, which will kickstart the first phase of the council's regeneration plans towards the end of the year.
Under the council's plans, the decades-old Hardshaw Centre will make way for the development of new homes, offices, retailers, and a hotel.
A market hall, a new and improved bus station, and further retail and residential space are also planned to be brought across other areas in the town centre.
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Relocation or permanent closure for Hardshaw Centre businesses
In preparation for the Hardshaw Centre's closure, some businesses, like Barnados and the Country Kitchen, have left the town for good.
However, others have relocated to different areas of the town centre, which sees more traders in closer proximity to one another, rather than having numerous empty units across different shopping centres.
With the majority of relocations filling up Church Square Shopping Centre, this has seen brands like Bonmarché and Shoezone making the move over from the Hardshaw Centre in recent months.
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Smaller Hardshaw traders have also made the switch, such as Tracey Gerrard and Tracy Heaton, who merged their artificial flower stalls and sweet kiosks to launch 'Infinity Ocassions' on Church Street.
While already a tenant of Church Square Shopping Centre, women's fashion line Select took advantage of the relocations and moved into a more visible unit in the former Burton's building, on the corner of Bridge Street.
The Clare House charity shop also opened its doors in the former Geek Retreat unit on Bridge Street this week, and the Go Outdoors 'Express' store replaced the former Millets shop back in November; highlighting how more vacancies are filling up in the shopping centre.
Businesses enjoying a new lease of life in Church Square
While there has inevitably been uncertainty surrounding relocations, especially during a cost of living crisis, the newly-moved traders are enjoying a new lease of life in their fresh premises in Church Square.
Following the move into a larger unit and more accessible location on Church Street, Shoezone said it has had a great reaction from customers and the team is "thrilled" to continue trading in the town.
A spokesperson for the brand said: "We’ve had a great response to our new concept store in Church Square.
"We’re pleased that we’ve been able to offer a broader selection of shoes, including own-brand and a range of well-known names.
"St Helens has a great atmosphere and we’re thrilled to be able to continue our investment in the town with our new store. We’re looking forward to welcoming shoppers new and old over the coming weeks, months and years.”
In a similar vein, a spokesperson at Bonmarché said that the brand has been "delighted" with the store's performance since relocating inside Church Square shopping centre.
Customers are said to have responded well to the new spring range in store, while staff members have created a "beautiful new shopping experience for new and loyal customers".
While Select already had a unit inside Church Square shopping centre, the move to the much more visible location on the corner of Bridge Street is also said to be paying dividends.
Attracting a lot more custom since the relocation, manager Ellen Pennington said that the initial response to the relocation has been "incredible".
Speaking previously to the Star, Ellen said: "We had lots of unhappy customers when we closed the other store, so they are so happy to see us open again and in such a great and prominent position too."
The new Infinity Occasions traders have also felt a positive impact since being more visible on the high street.
Although the new business has faced difficulties during the cost of living crisis, it has been able to reach a lot more customers by merging its products and being seen on Church Street.
Bringing in extra pairs of hands in Tracy O'Neill and her daughter Chantelle, the new location has also allowed the business to further expand and provide services such as t-shirt printing and venue decorations.
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Tracey Gerarrd, the former artificial flower stall owner in the Hardshaw Centre, told the Star: "I think we did move at one of the worst possible times during a cost of living crisis, because when we moved, everything was going up and [bills are] a lot more expensive.
"We have good days and bad days, but we have had some really busy days over Christmas, and on Mother's Day and Valentine's Day.
"We have started from scratch really, but we're enjoying it and we get to be a bit more creative with the venue decorations - it's something different every day!"
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