Yards Store will offer a series of brands. Credit: via Counter Context

Pace gathers at Heart of the City Sheffield

18 December 2023 09:49 Neil Tague Comments (0)

Fashion stores Fjällräven and Yards Store have been snapped up, while contractor Henry Boot has handed over the Cambridge Street Collective food hall for fit-out ahead of opening in 2024.

Sheffield City Council and its strategic development partner Queensberry described the Fjällräven deal as a major coup for the city.

Following Manchester, this will be the Swedish brand’s second dedicated UK store, with the Charles Street location set to be operated by the Sporting Lodge.

Set to sit alongside Fjällräven on the corner of Charles Street and Pinstone Street, Yards Store is a men’s fashion retailer, owned by Sporting Lodge’s sister company Parasol Retail, offering brands including Carhartt, Patagonia, RRL by Ralph Lauren, Paul Smith and New Balance.

The store will follow locations in Manchester and Altrincham.

Tim Gardiner, co-owner of The Sporting Lodge Limited and Parasol Retail Limited, said: “Firstly, in terms of the new Fjällräven store opening in Sheffield, we have been looking at the city as new opportunity now for some time and we’ve been very impressed with the plans for the re-invigorated city centre. Our partners at Fjällräven have been very supportive in our new store opening plans and we feel that Sheffield is the perfect place for our next stage of development.

“With regards to Yards Store, we feel the brand mix we now have will appeal to the people of Sheffield, with an exciting blend of heritage, outdoor and fashionable international brands that has proved to be a successful mix in our Manchester store. The appeal of Yards Store has seen us being approached by several up and coming and global brands, who want to be stocked in our stores.”

The food hall combines restored frontages and new build elements. Credit: via Counter Context

Cambridge Street Collective is regarded as a key element in driving footfall to Heart of the City, particularly in the evenings.

The new venue is located between Cambridge Street and Wellington Street, sitting behind the distinctive Henry’s Corner and Bethel Sunday School. Once the fit-out work is completed, it will be run by Blend Family – the same company behind Sheffield’s acclaimed Cutlery Works – and feature a contemporary food hall, cookery school and rooftop bar.

Construction saw several historic building façades sensitively refurbished and integrated into a contemporary new structure behind. The new build elements are finished with an orange-coloured weathering steel façade.

Tony Shaw, managing director at Henry Boot Construction, said: “Cambridge Street Collective has been an incredible project to be involved with and I’m incredibly proud of the team for delivering such an important and complex development.

“The final product is really striking, with an array of materials contrasting and complementing the restored original architecture. Inside is just as impressive and I look forward to seeing it become a thriving space for the city centre’s visitors to enjoy soon.”

Read Place Yorkshire’s Q&A with Queensberry’s Andrew Davison

Speaking on each project, Cllr Ben Miskell, chair of the transport, regeneration and climate policy committee at Sheffield City Council, said:

“It’s great to see the Cambridge Street Collective development reach practical completion. Henry Boot Construction has delivered a fantastic job, blending old with new and protecting the important heritage façade along Cambridge Street.

“The venue, with the impressive food hall space at its core, will be a hugely exciting addition to the city centre and provide a major footfall boost.

“To secure the second Fjällräven store in the UK is a clear reflection that Sheffield city centre is on the up. It shows the confidence that the market has in the future of our city, driven by the high-quality regeneration that the Council has led.

“I am thrilled to welcome both Fjällräven and Yards Store to the city centre. Plans for their new units are really impressive and I’m sure both will be hugely popular. We’re transforming the city centre into a vibrant destination where people can relax, shop, enjoy a drink, dine and work.”