HUNDREDS of jobs are being created with the re-opening of Bobby’s department store in Bournemouth. Verve Properties, which is bringing back the famous brand in the next few weeks, says around 260 posts will be available. Work on the store, in the former Debenhams building in the Square, is going on at pace. The Echo revealed in April that Bobby’s was making a comeback nearly half a century after it disappeared from the town. The move is a huge boost for the town centre’s revitalisation and set to be transformational for the Square. Ashley Nicholson, Verve director, said:“Bobby’s has historically always been at the heart of the town centre and the community.
Four-legged friends will have the time of their lives when DROOL opens for business in July. The foodhall forms part of the multi-million pounds redevelopment of the former Debenhams store, which closed yesterday. Featuring a cake shop, a “Lick ‘n’ Mix station”, and a doggy tuck shop, alongside a dog ball recycling centre, there is something to get every tail wagging. The treats may look good enough to eat, but anyone tucking into them themselves will be in for a rude awakening as all treats are designed to delight the palate of our canine companions only, unless of course you have a taste for dried tripe.
The Bournemouth department store will close its doors for the last time today, with the business final 28 stores to be axed on Saturday, May 15. Bridget Lo Cascio from Puddletown said: “It is quite sad for the town; it is the end of an era. I think it is quite sad, you don’t expect a department store like Debenhams to close. We have one in Weymouth which has already closed and its being replaced with a Range store. “My son just got me a shirt but there isn’t much to choose from in there. It is like a ghost town in there, the shelves are looking pretty bare. There is just a few clothes racks.
DEBENHAMS will close the doors of its Bournemouth department store for the final time tomorrow. The landmark store is all but empty as the final few items are sold off at discounted prices. Stores across the country are closing this week with the future of many sites uncertain. The closures mark the end of the company s 242-year history. But plans have been announced for the site in Bournemouth Square to re-open under the iconic Bobby & Co banner. Bobby & Co occupied the site from May 1915 but became Debenhams in 1972. Owners plan to restore the building as closely as possible to its original splendour with the first elements opening in mid-July.