Homewares favourite Dunelm to bring latest superstore format to Flemingate

The UK’s No. 1 homewares retailer, Dunelm, is coming to Beverley’s Flemingate centre.

Dunelm is bringing its new superstore format to Flemingate and will take over the former Debenhams department store to become the centre’s new anchor operator.

Flemingate’s owner, Wykeland Group, has secured the leading retailer in the latest major boost for the thriving retail and leisure destination.

Dunelm has taken a 10-year lease on the two-storey former department store and will begin fitting out the building in the next couple of weeks. The new store is expected to open just before Christmas as the latest addition to Dunelm’s network of more than 170 outlets across the country.

The 41,000 sq ft Flemingate store will showcase Dunelm’s new multi-department format, providing more inspiration for customers as well as an even better shopping experience.

The store will feature well-known departments including curtains to cookshop, Made to Measure and a Decorate & Co-ordinate department, including Dunelm’s new range of own brand paints and a Take Home Today furniture department.

It will also include a Dunelm’s own Pausa coffee shop, serving freshly-ground Arabica coffee and a range of sandwiches, cakes and treats for shoppers to enjoy.

The arrival of Dunelm will create around 40 jobs and will mean Flemingate is almost fully let, having bounced back strongly from the pandemic with a series of new openings and footfall running well ahead of pre-Covid levels.

Dominic Gibbons, Managing Director of Hull-based Wykeland, said: “We’re delighted to announce Dunelm, one of the country’s leading retailers, is bringing its exciting new superstore format to Flemingate and that the former Debenhams store will once again be fully occupied.

“The closure of Debenhams created a highly-desirable retail opportunity in a prime location within a vibrant destination and we were always confident of attracting a high-quality new operator. We’ve now delivered on that confidence.

“Dunelm’s commitment reflects the strength of Flemingate and also the appeal of Beverley as a prosperous and growing retail and leisure marketplace.”

Steve Barton, Dunelm Director of Property, said: “This is a great opportunity for Dunelm to bring our latest store offering to customers in Beverley. Our new Flemingate store will have everything needed to help savvy customers refresh and revamp their homes, from simple haberdashery items to stylish and highly affordable furniture.” 

Dunelm is the UK’s leading homewares retailer, with an unrivalled range, including exclusive brands and own-label products, and also a growing presence in the furniture market.

The retailer has 50,000 product lines and is renowned for helping customers create homes they love by offering choice, value, quality and style. Dunelm has a fully integrated in-store and online service and welcomes over five million visitors through its doors and to its website every week.

Established more than 40 years ago, Dunelm employs 10,000 people across the UK and is growing strongly as post-pandemic trends see consumers focus more than ever on homewares and home improvements.

The Dunelm news is the latest in a series of positive announcements about investment at Flemingate.

It comes just two months after the opening of a store bringing together Sports Direct, the UK’s leading sportswear and sports equipment retailer, and streetwear and fashion brand USC. Frasers Group, owner of the retail brands, committed to a 10-year lease on the 10,000 sq ft store as part of a series of new multi-brand openings in prime locations across the UK.

Meanwhile, urban playground operator Jump Inc has taken over and relaunched Flemingate’s inflatable play park and is investing £300,000 to expand into a neighbouring unit to introduce exciting new activities, including a ninja zone, multi-level soft play and zip lines.

Other new openings in recent months have included a Vintage & Co hair salon and One Stop convenience store.

David Donkin, Wykeland Property Director, said: “All of these new operators have added value to Flemingate and enhanced the experience for shoppers and visitors to the centre.

“Footfall is already running at 20% ahead of the equivalent period before the pandemic and Dunelm will give those numbers a big boost. We’re looking forward to a very busy Christmas shopping season and 2022 is set to be a very exciting year for Flemingate.”

Opened in 2015 as Beverley’s largest ever regeneration scheme, Flemingate features a mix of leading national retail and leisure brands and local independents. It is also home to East Riding College’s Beverley campus, an 80-bed Premier Inn hotel, six-screen Parkway digital cinema and 130 homes.

Dunelm and its customers will benefit from Flemingate’s 500-space multi-storey car park and click-and-collect facility, both just yards from the store.

The Debenhams store at Flemingate shut in May this year as part of a national closure programme after the department store group went into administration. Online retailer Boohoo acquired the Debenhams brand but decided not to retain its stores across the UK.