Iconic South Shields shop Riddicks looks for a new tenant as it goes up for let
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Now the imposing and ornate town centre building is up for grabs to a new tenant – or tenants – as it is put up for rent following its past life as a grocer, chain store and snooker hall as well as shoe shop.
The South Tyneside Council-owned property, on the corner of Fowler Street and Keppel Street, spans a basement and three floors above, with leases available on a floor-by-floor basis or as a whole.
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Hide Ad@Retail, which has been charged by the authority to market the building, has set out how it could be used as a variety of businesses including retail, office, restaurant and leisure and says the council may also consider alternative uses such as a public house, boutique Hotel and residential use for the upper floor subject to permission.
However, it says the recently refurbished building is a shell and will “require extensive fit out to suit the end user’s purposes” and says any tenant will be responsible for its glass front in the terms of the lease.
It details how the shop is close to the new transport interchange, as well as Asda, Next, B&M and River Island, as well as King Street and The Word.
The brochure states: “The property blends the old with the new.
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Hide Ad"The older section was completed in 1907 for high end grocer Miller & Co and comprises basement, ground and two upper floors with a wrap around shop front and bay windows at first floor.
"An attractive cupula and roof level gable elements add to the prominence of the building.
"A more recent three storey extension was subsequently added to the property at the western end of the premises.
"The recent refurbishment has included tanking to the basement, new timber shop front and glazing, new three phase electric supply, lighting circuit, partial perimeter heating, new windows and insulation.”
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Hide AdA council spokesperson said: “The former Riddicks shop is a much-loved part of South Shields town centre and it was always part of our regeneration plans to incorporate this landmark building of architectural merit into the town’s future.
“With this in mind, we have refurbished the building, retaining its distinctive façade and frontage, and we are looking forward to hearing investors’ and entrepreneurs’ proposals for the site going forward.”
The chain store Hintons moved in during the 1950s and its ground floor went on to become Riddicks shoe shop, which was established in 1893 and sold its last pair in 2014, while Racks snooker hall upstairs also shut down.