A new furniture shop could be coming to Bedford after the sale of the former Wilko store on Bedford High Street.
The sale of the three-storey building overlooking the town square is being badged as a “huge boost” for the town centre, with a ‘furniture operator’ showing an early interest in leasing the ground floor.
The two upper floors of the building are expected to be redeveloped by the new owners, who have not been named. Kirkby Diamond acted on behalf of the unnamed sellers.
Nathan George, associate and head of the agency in Bedford, said: “While the closure of the Wilko store was undoubtedly a blow, the potential transformation of the building in a fantastic high street location by the new owners is very exciting.
“We really enjoyed dealing with this instruction and are very pleased to see another landmark building sold for redevelopment.
“It follows the sale of the former Debenhams building, which we completed earlier this year, giving the town centre retail sector a double boost moving into the new year.
“Before long, we hope to have a new tenant trading from the ground floor, which will be another positive lift for the town.”
Read: Wilko deal collapses leaving fresh uncertainty for Bedford stores
High street homewares retailer Wilko failed to find a financial rescue for its 400 stores and filed for bankruptcy in the summer of 2023, with a loss of around 12,000 jobs nationally.
The high street property has been left vacant since it closed its doors on 21 September 2023.
