The owner of the former Debenhams department store in Bournemouth is set to bring the site back to its former glory.
Verve Properties has unveiled plans to re-establish the town’s historic Bobby & Co department store on the site. Bobby’s opened in the iconic building, which overlooks Bournemouth’s The Square, in 1915 and traded as Bobby & Co until 1972 when it was rebranded as Debenhams.
Plans are now in place to bring independent trading back to the site, with the first parts of the store scheduled to reopen in mid-July and more elements opening throughout the year and into 2022. First to open will be Bobby’s beauty hall, a traditional ice cream and coffee parlour, an art gallery, and a dog café in the lower gardens. There will also be a sushi and plant-based poke bowl bar, a nail bar, and treatment rooms. The In Time watch repairing station will be retained.
Ashley Nicholson, director of Verve Properties, said: “Bobby’s has historically always been at the heart of the town centre and the community. When we started our research into the history, we kept unearthing how bedded into the community the building was. We also found much of the architectural detail had survived but was covered up – so we took inspiration from that and have sought to restore what we can to bring back the grandeur of this iconic building, while at the same time introducing some modernity to make it fitting for today.
“The copper domes will be repaired, the flagpoles reinstated, the 1970s canopy removed and replaced by the original design, the 1933 front entrance designs reinstated, new ornate first floor balconies to match the others installed and so on – all of which aims to be front and centre of our plans for a rebirth and celebration of both the Bobby’s name and original architectural style.”
Nicholson added: “If shoppers are going to be tempted back into town centres, then retailers need to value three key elements in any new structure and design. The first is to consider what kind of shopping experience people will still want to happen “in real life” – beauty, clothing and footwear are good examples of retail that people want to try out in person.
“The second element should focus on how to make the shopping experience a fun and enjoyable one. The third should be to remember that ultimately, town centres are there to serve the local community. It will take time to deliver Bobby’s back to its former glory – the building has suffered a lack of expenditure over many years. But with the patience and support of the community this project can play can be a significant role in the re-imagining of the town centre in a post-Covid world.
“Regeneration is vital, but gentrification that alienates a community is the opposite of what new retail projects should be aiming for. We are therefore very excited to be able to bring this ethos to our plans for Bobby’s, bringing back the glamour and the style of the original Bobby’s from the early 20th century.”
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