Habitat opens larger Cheltenham store

The opening marks the latest stage in what new country manager Ruth Dangerfield referred to as “rationalising the portfolio”. She said that although no plans are in place for absolute store numbers in the UK, the close scrutiny of the chain’s branches might mean some stores would have to close.

“There might be some closures, yes. It’s about having the right stores in the right places and if opportunities come up for us, then we can move quickly,” she said.

The new Cheltenham shop is in the recently developed Brewery scheme and features a massive curved front overlooking the town’s inner ring road and a spectacular vertical art installation in the stairwell, created using Habitat products, by artist Stuart Haygarth.

At 21,000 sq ft (1,950 sq m), this is now one of the biggest stores in the retailer’s 38-shop network. It has also been the fastest fit-out to date for Habitat, taking eight weeks from handover to completion, against a previous best of 10 weeks. Dangerfield said that the building was a shell when possession was taken and everything from the mechanical and electrical elements, to the central staircase that takes shoppers up to the first floor, had to be incorporated within the timeframe.

Owing to the extensive nature of the fit-out required to open the store, at£57 per sq ft (£615 per sq m) the cost has been around£8 per sq ft (£85 per sq m) higher than the last store, in Cambridge.

“For us, there is a really strong customer base in Cheltenham, but the store that we had was just too small,” Dangerfield said. “In terms of the offer, we just weren’t able to get everything in. This new building has more character and we’ve been able to create a sense of intimacy while showing our authority in furniture,” she added.

The Cheltenham store interior was created by the in-house team that worked on the Cambridge outlet, in association with consultancy Antarchitecture.

The next slated opening is at Trafford Park in April next year. Dangerfield also said that Habitat is “very close” to signing for a store in the Westfield London development at White City. At the beginning of this year, before Dangerfield joined the company, Habitat made the decision to close its Bluewater branch, following its first rent review at the Kent shopping centre.