The Royal Arcade Norwich has welcomed its first new tenant under its new ownership. Lauren Rose Interior Design will be opening its new shop on Saturday 5 March in Unit 5 (half-way along the Arcade).
Lauren Rose Interior Design is owned by Lauren Collins-Hines and provides interior design services to customers for living rooms, bathrooms and kitchens, property staging for selling their homes, placement and design of accessories, developers’ show homes, curtain and blinds, paint and wallpaper, fabrics, project management and CAD drawings.
Its Arcade retail presence houses a homewares store on the ground floor, where customers can buy individual design pieces, and an interior design showroom on the first floor.
Lauren commented, “The Royal Arcade in Norwich is such an iconic building. I am so delighted to have secured one of its prestigious units for my store. When I tell people I am opening here they think I am very lucky! I believe I can make it a real destination shop that will attract people who are interested in interior design or who are looking for ideas to redesign their own homes. And for those customers who express an interest in interior design for their homes or businesses, I can take them upstairs to the design showroom. With my brilliant suppliers and team of expert local tradespeople, I am able to create luxury interiors at a very affordable price. With the new food hall opening later this year I am really excited about the footfall we will attract.
“I’d say I am a pretty versatile designer and can design in all styles. I am very ‘hands-on’ and get fully involved in helping my clients achieve their vision. Having a store in the Arcade will enable me to run design workshops for anyone who is interested in the topic, guiding them through the process and giving them an insight to what it’s like to work in the industry. And, they’ll be able to take home whatever they design at the end of the workshop.”
Lauren previously worked in her family’s business, Lark Interiors, in Bishop’s Stortford where she trained to be an interior designer. After relocating to Norwich, she decided to venture out on her own and set up Lauren Rose Interior Design.
Footfall figures for the Royal Arcade are very encouraging, showing clearly that the recovery from the COVID-19 restrictions is fully underway and that it is performing better than the East and the UK overall. In the week commencing 14 February, footfall was over 41,000 which was a 17.9% increase on the previous week. For that same week, in the East footfall rose by 5.7% and across the UK it was actually down 2.6%. In the last 12 months, 1.7 million shoppers have passed through the Royal Arcade, which was an uplift of 84.5% on the previous 12 months (East up 200.6%, UK up 157.2%). Year-to-date, footfall stands at 232,000 (793.3% up on the same period last year, East up 202.3%, UK up 180.7%).
Simon Ashdown, Director of LPC1 Ltd, the property management company running the Arcade on behalf of the owners, said, “I am delighted that Lauren now has the keys to her store. She is the first new tenant to be announced since we took over the management of the Royal Arcade Norwich on behalf of the new owners and this clearly demonstrates that our desire to fill the Arcade with high end, independent retailers is coming to fruition to join the likes of our existing tenants Stompers, Sonkai Jewellers, Sapphire Chocolates and Lady B. We are determined to fill the remaining vacant units with similar quality tenants and can report that we are well on the way to securing them. We look forward to announcing them in the coming weeks. And with such healthy footfall figures, we are looking forward to welcoming more customers to the Royal Arcade now that COVID-19 guidelines have been relaxed further.”
Carol Cooper, of Norwich-based Francis Darrah Chartered Surveyors who is marketing the shops in the Arcade, said, “We have had a fantastic response from our initial marketing campaign which has resulted in offers from potential tenants who will generate interest and footfall as well as maintaining the same quality of offer as Lauren Rose Interior Design and the existing Arcade retailers. As the recovery from the pandemic kicks in, we are experiencing an upturn in interest from retailers seeking representation in Norwich. We are anticipating a really positive year for the sector as shoppers return to the city in the numbers last seen in 2019. Working closely with LPC1, we believe we are well on the way to seeing the Royal Arcade Norwich full and bustling with customers and returning to its well-deserved position as Norwich’s ‘jewel in the crown’.”
