New era dawning for Stretford town centre – but some businesses will disappear

The official opening of King Street and Sir Tony Lloyd Square will take place on Thursday (August 21). For the first time in more than 60 years, people will be able to walk down King Street in the fresh air, and retailers are getting ready to open the doors of their new units in the coming weeks.

Trafford council leader Tom Ross and Chris Roberts, chief development officer of commercial property company Bruntwood, which has masterminded the reshaping of the town centre alongside the local authority, will lead the ceremony.

That will be followed by a street party on the street on Saturday August 23, heralding the new beginning for King Street and Stretford town centre.

But alongside the optimism of the new development, there is a tinge of sadness for some of the independent businesses in the soon-to-be-demolished Stretford Mall.

For the reality is that there is no room for all the businesses currently in the mall on the new-look King Street, so they will be departing at the end of the month.

One of the most heart-wrenching stories is the demise of the Uplift at the Square community cafe which has been at the heart of the mall for the last few years.

Run by Georgie Grzesiak, 51, and her husband Paul, 50, their journey is worth telling in the context of how similar businesses have suffered against the backdrop of tough economic times, and, of course, the Covid 19 pandemic.

It’s not all gloom and doom for the Grzesiaks, however, because they will soon begin running their community cafe at the Christian Life Centre on Barton Road.

Georgie explains: “Seven years ago, my husband was a manager at Tesco and got made redundant. I’m a hairdresser and I always say, if you enjoy your job, you don’t work a day in your life.”

She said that Paul’s dream was to run a cafe. “So I said to him, ‘well, let’s do it, why not?’

“So he got quite a good redundancy settlement from Tesco because he was a manager and he’d been there a long time. So we went to Growth Hub and we took a business course, we found a unit at the front of the mall and Uplift was born on the main street.

“That was the year before Covid, and then Covid came and we got into a lot of debt and we had to pay rent while we weren’t working and it was a struggle. We got into a lot of debt.

“But Bruntwood really helped us. They cleared that debt and they put us here in the mall. So I’m ever so grateful to Bruntwood for doing that.

“Since then we’ve got bigger and better and it’s just absolutely lovely here. I love our community, I love the things we do. We do something every day (book clubs and knitting groups etc).

“Obviously, this is being demolished, and a new town centre is being born. I asked Bruntwood that if we were to put a proposal in, how would that look, and they said ‘no’. They didn’t make us an offer.

“Fair enough, we got into a lot of debt, and they did help us, so I can understand. I was so upset when they said no. I just feel like I’m not making a lot of money, but I’ve got a purpose in life.

“We’d done a funeral for one of my favourite customers who was 102. It was in the Christian Life Centre and I remember that day, I kept crying. I remembered doing the funeral and it was a lovely space.

“So I messaged the pastor and I just said, ‘look, I’m sorry to be blunt, but you have a cafe we have one, how would that look?’ We met that night and he loved us. He said it was a great idea, so we’re going to take over at the Christian Life Centre. Our last day here is August 23, when the street warming party takes place for the new high street. It upset me at first, because I couldn’t believe they were doing it on the same day we’re going.

“But I’ve got my ticket, so I’m going to go to the after party. I’m going to finish here and I’ve told our customers to meet me there at 4pm on the 23rd and we’ll have a little drink and I’ll do a live video on the new high street.”

It’s a different story for music-loving owner Nigel Young at Reel Around The Fountain Records – the shop named after a track by the legendary 1980s Manchester band The Smiths, believed to relate to the fountain that was at the centre of the mall.

Nigel said: “I’m moving next door to what used to be the Disc and Tape Exchange. The rents are commensurate with other areas. I imagine that they (Bruntwood) don’t want a high street full of businesses that might fail.

“They are not being unreasonable when you compare it to other areas of Manchester. I’m moving to my new unit on November 1.”

But for the owners of the clothing shop Sofi – Sofi, 67, and Yusuf Patel, 64 – the new era spells the end of their business.

Sofi said: “We are moving out at the end of this month. The rent being asked for the new units is a lot more than what we have been paying in here – about double in fact. We’ve been here 40 years, and we will miss it.”

Yusuf said: “We can’t start another business. The rent being asked was about £23,000, but there were other costs on top of that. We can’t afford it.”

It’s a similar story for Mo Ali, the owner of bedding shop Get Comfy: “We are leaving at the end of the month. I don’t think they (Bruntwood) want us to stay here. I pointed out that we are the only bedding shop on the high street, but it didn’t make any difference.”

The manager of AAA Mobile Phones, Hammad Quereshi, said that business will also be leaving. He said: “We’ve been here 15 years. We are not being offered a place in the new development. We are struggling to find another place.”

Masooma Salman, 51, is the owner of Sanya’s Brow Bar. She said: “ I’ve been here for 20 years. I thought I might be offered a new unit last April, but it’s not happening, which was really disappointing. I’m leaving here on August 30. I don’t want lose my customers, so I’m driving around looking for somewhere else.”

A spokesperson from Bruntwood and Trafford council said: “The opening of King Street and Sir Tony Lloyd Square marks the start of an exciting new chapter for Stretford. On August 23, we’ll welcome the local community and visitors from across Greater Manchester and beyond for a special Street Warming Party to explore the vibrant, modern high street that builds on Stretford’s proud heritage.

“We’re in the process of moving businesses into their new homes as part of a phased approach, bringing together much-loved independents and exciting national brands, some making the move from the Mall, others new to the town, all reflecting the lifestyles of today’s shoppers and bringing fresh energy to Stretford.

“Whilst a number of businesses from inside the Mall are relocating to King Street, the new high street has been carefully designed to meet the demands of the local community and visitors alike, creating a balanced mix of sustainable shops and services.

“This means that not every store from within the mall is moving to King Street and, where possible, we have worked with these retailers to support them in their next steps.

“This is more than a street opening, it’s the beginning of a transformation that will boost the local economy, create opportunities and give the community a thriving, resilient and diverse high street for Stretford to be proud of for years to come.”