Widnes mall put up for sale
The leasehold of the 85,000 sq ft Albert Square Shopping Centre has been put up for auction for a price in the region of £2m-£2.5m.
The Cheshire mall off Albert Road in Widnes town centre features 32 food and convenience stores, with tenants including Iceland, Lloyds Bank, Savers, BHF and Game. A Sports Direct unit on the site is not included in the sale.
The property, owned by New River Reit, also has a 290-space car park and several service yard areas. The buildings typically provide ground floor sales with first floor staff and/or storage accommodation.
Footfall in 2019 was around 3.3m, according to the listing published by auction house Allsop, while the figure for total current gross rent is just over £580,000 per year.
The shopping centre spans 84,841 sq ft in total and the site is held on a 125-year lease from Widnes Council at a base ground rent of £30,000 per year.
Retail centres across the region are suffering in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The £2m-£2.25m price tag sought by Allsop for the Widnes mall is substantially below New River Reit’s last valuation estimate of £5m-£10m.
The listing states: “Widnes is an established commuter town on the north bank of the River Mersey, some 11 miles east of Liverpool and five miles west of Warrington. The town boasts good road communication.”
Yes more shops to help economy would be good
By Paula
Why would you sell at the bottom of the market?
Must be in trouble.
By Doris
No more charity shops hair dressers or nail bars
By Natasha
Absolutely woeful that scheme
By P Towers
Neglected, out of date and uninviting.
By m Williams
Rents too high?? Even bigger companies have left!!
By Chris Grice
Totally agree, we need some class, instead of being stuck in the 70’s, scruffy, old fashioned, we need to enjoy going to our local shops instead of out of town……… we need a facelift it’s been too long!!
By Karen
We need more shops for clothes and shops that will be good for everyone we definitely don’t need more charity shop or anything like that we need more local business so that people can use it and support the community
By Paul
Resident 15yrs it was fantastic people came from all over to shop. High rents forced shop owners and decline in market stalls. Then charity shoos all over its such a dhame
By Kate
Who ever takes the lease over I hope retains the area for retail. Widnes is well known by everyone who visits from far and wide areas, to be one of the top town’s to shop in, with excellent parking and bus availability, any changes to the retail foot print of the area could have a knock-on effect leading to a down turn of shoppers, and other companies finding it unprofitable to remain. Hence the old adage, the nail in the coffin.
By R Park
Maybe I’m missing something, but isn’t being a commuter town, having good road connections and being close to a major city all rather poor selling points for a small provincial shopping centre??
By Jeff
Primark tkmaxx
By Anonymous
I went to do some shopping today in Widnes and was shocked to see pay for parking machines being installed in and around the Morrisons and Market car parks.. not in service yet but im baffled to why and this will only put more shoppers off. Its like they want the town centre to die. I wont be shopping there no more if I have to pay to park.
By Andy