A new lease on life for the BHS store left empty years to take over the fashion giant
A FORMER BHS store is being revived by a major fashion giant after years of lying empty.
The Frasers Group, owner of the Sports Direct brand, is to open a new sportswear store at The Precinct in Coventry.
The company, owned by businessman Mike Ashley, said the 30,000-square-foot site will open in the spring, but an exact date has yet to be determined.
In addition to selling well-known sports brands such as Reebok, it will also stock other Frasers brands such as USC, Game and Belong.
Sports Direct will move to the site previously occupied by BHS.
The beloved British chain went bankrupt in 2016 and all its 160 stores, including the Coventry branch, were forced to close.
The store has been empty ever since.
The local population is full of praise for the Frasers Group's action and shares their enthusiasm on social media
One Facebook user said: “How exciting, what an improvement it will bring!”
Another wrote: “The center needs big brand shoppers to keep shoppers buzzing.”
It comes after Sports Direct closed its store in the Central Six Retail Park, Coventry, on January 21.
The site will reportedly reopen as an Icelandic food warehouse, although no date has been revealed yet.
Will Frasers Group open more branches?
It comes at a time when Frasers Group is looking to expand and diversify its portfolio, opening new 'concept stores' across the UK.
The first store of this kind, stocking popular brands such as Sports Direct and Game, opened in Norwich last September.
And two more have opened in Blackpool and Sheffield in recent months.
In addition, M&S is set to take over a former M&S store in Liverpool's famous Church Street.
M&S left the Grade II listed Compton House building last August and took up a unit in the city's nearby One Shopping Centre.
That's not all. In December, Frasers Group also acquired luxury clothing store Matches Fashion in a deal worth £52 million.
But it wasn't all good news as the group also closed branches.
According to local news reports, t closed its Sports Direct branch in Central Six Retail Park, Coventry, on January 21 with plans to open another branch in the city centre.
The group said it would also close its Swindon branch in early 2024, but did not confirm an exact date.
Meanwhile, it also launched a massive closure sale before closing a Sports Direct branch in Blackpool in November.
And Sports Direct Fitness closed a branch in Salisbury for good on December 11, much to the shock of members.
Game, also owned by Frasers Group, will also have closed three branches in Exeter, Witney and Huntingdon by the end of January.
And in October, House of Fraser confirmed it will close its branch in the Lakeside Shopping Centre, Grays, in January.
It closed three stores in 2023, including in Cardiff, Guildford and Birmingham.
Do you have a money problem that needs to be solved? Get in touch by emailing money@the-sun.co.uk.
Moreover, you can join us Sun Money chats and tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories.