TUI confirms new store at Cleveland Retail Park in former Frankie & …
One of the UK’s most popular travel agents has announced plans to open a new location on Teesside.
TUI has confirmed that it will be opening a brand new store at Middlesbrough’s Cleveland Retail Park[1]. The news comes after an offer was accepted by the shopping site for a unit that previously housed Italian-American themed restaurant Frankie & Benny’s.
The site has stood empty for over two years after the diner failed to re-open following lockdown. In November, the retail park announced renewed plans to split up the former Frankie and Benny’s[2] unit into two separate stores, in order to “appeal to a wider range of retailers” – and it seems to have done just the trick.
A spokesperson for TUI confirmed that it has placed an offer on Pod A2, which directly neighbours Bed World, and it is ‘very excited’ about the new location. While a specific date of opening has yet to be confirmed, prospective holidaymakers can expect an opening in ‘a few months time’.
The store, also located next to Costa Coffee, will sit on the standalone ‘pod’ based in the centre of the car park. The unit has stood vacant since May 2021 and in planning applications to Redcar and Cleveland Council[4] to split the unit, Cleveland Retail Park admitted it was struggling to find a new vendor despite ‘continued marketing’.
The retail park is a popular spot for shoppers, with big name stores like TK Maxx, Boots, Currys and an M&S food store. TUI already has one of their holiday stores on Linthorpe[5] Road in Middlesbrough[6] town centre, as well as stores in Thornaby[7], Darlington[8] and Hartlepool[9].
A spokesperson for TUI said: “We can confirm that we will be opening a brand-new TUI store on Cleveland Retail Park in Pod A2.
“We’re very excited to open one of our stores in what will be a new location for us, and look forward to opening our doors and welcoming customers in a few months’ time.”
References
- ^ Middlesbrough’s Cleveland Retail Park (www.gazettelive.co.uk)
- ^ renewed plans to split up the former Frankie and Benny’s (www.gazettelive.co.uk)
- ^ ‘Bit of an uplift and some TLC’ planned for Guisborough shop fronts as part of new scheme (www.gazettelive.co.uk)
- ^ Redcar and Cleveland Council (www.gazettelive.co.uk)
- ^ Linthorpe (www.gazettelive.co.uk)
- ^ Middlesbrough (www.gazettelive.co.uk)
- ^ Thornaby (www.gazettelive.co.uk)
- ^ Darlington (www.gazettelive.co.uk)
- ^ Hartlepool (www.gazettelive.co.uk)