Lego store builds on city's shopping success story

The number of empty shops in a city centre has fallen to its lowest number in 18 years as crowds gathered for the opening of a new Lego store.

A report by Norwich City Council said the decision by companies such as Lego to open new outlets was proof the city was "a good place to invest".

Hundreds of people queued outside the Chantry Place shopping centre on Thursday ahead of the Danish toy giant opening its latest branch.

Figures from surveys the council conducted showed that 9.8% of retail units were empty last month, down from 15.2% in September last year.

However, the report conceded that the demolition of Anglia Square shopping centre – where 40 units were knocked down – had impacted the numbers.

Ian Stutely, the cabinet member for planning at the Green-run authority, said the figures were "a real vote of confidence in Norwich as a shopping destination".

The council's report covers some of the highs and lows for retail in the city over the past 12 months.

While some notable names have closed – including River Island, Select and Claire's – others such as Swarovski and Menkind have opened branches.

It also highlighted the decision by Lego to open its 24th store in the UK, which is the first in East Anglia.

In her report, the council's head of planning, Sarah Ashurst, said this was "the first time that vacancy rates for units [have] dropped below 10% since July 2008".

"This is a really positive sign and demonstrates that Norwich has a robust and thriving city centre," she said.

However, she also pointed out that some major sites remained empty – although there were plans to redevelop both the former Wilko and Debenhams stores.

Another contributing factor to the fall in empty stores has been the demolition of Anglia Square, on the edge of the city centre, which began last year.

The removal of 40 units in the precinct and surrounding area, many of which were empty, helped bring down the percentage of vacancies.

One of the main retailers based at the site was the discount chain QD, which opened its first store in Anglia Square in 1985.

When speaking to BBC Radio Norfolk about the opening of a new branch in Harleston, QD's head of operations Andy Jermy said the firm hoped to return to the the city one day.

"We would love to be back in Norwich, but it is finding the right opportunity to do so," he said.

Norwich City councillors are due to discuss the report on Monday.

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