Strict social distancing measures are being introduced at Yate Shopping Centre ahead of the re-opening of non-essential retail units on 15th June.

The measures will mean that:

A keep left system with signage will be in place around the Centre

Staff will actively talk to customers to ensure that this is followed

Customers will be able to cross the line but only to go directly into a store immediately opposite

There will be some hard barriers in place to ensure that customers are taking the     correct direction mainly in the centre square around Boswells

Staff are talking to all retailers and agreeing queuing systems.

Tesco will be operating its own queuing system from under the store as from Wednesday, 27th May and no longer on East Walk, as has been the case.

Andrew Lowrey: “As with any such measures, there are almost certain to be some issues so we strongly recommend that customers speak to Centre staff if they have any concerns. Working together, we can start to get operations back to a state of normality”.

Yate Shopping Centre is asset managed by Ellandi and the property management is headed by Cushman & Wakefield.

One of the West Country’s favourite quick service brands is set to open in Yate Shopping Centre in the near future.

Miss Millies Fried Chicken, which was founded by the businessman who brought the  KFC brand to the UK, is due to open in the vacant 5-6 North Parade with fit-out scheduled to start in March.

Andrew Lowrey, Centre Manager, said: “It’s great to welcome Miss Millie’s chain to the Centre, a well-established local brand. A variety of restaurants is an essential part of the Shopping Centre’s portfolio and Miss Millie’s will bring the bonus of take-away and a 40 seater sit down restaurant.

“The premises is in a high-profile location and has a history as a take-away outlet having previously been occupied by Hotcha”.

Miss Millie’s is a local business with roots in the industry stretching back to 1965 when the late Chairman Harry Latham set up KFC in the UK, before opening stores in the South West in 1988 under the Miss Millie’s brand. Harry and Colonel Sanders were very good friends, so much so that the name Miss Millie’s was given in honour of the Colonel’s eldest daughter Mildred. Mildred was famous for wearing of large framed spectacles, which the new branding depicts.

25 jobs will be created when the store starts trading and it will open daily from 11am until late and home deliveries will be available in the near future.

This year’s Christmas festivities at Yate Shopping Centre will get underway on Saturday, 16th November with the traditional parades and lights switch-on.

Throughout the day from 11am until 5pm there will be a wide variety of activities with entertainment on the central stage and parades at 1pm and 3pm culminating with the lights switch-on at 4.15pm.

Andrew Lowrey, Yate Shopping Centre Manager: “This year’s festivities promise to be another entertaining and thrilling day with Father Christmas and his real reindeer in the parade along with many other exciting characters.

“Other activities will include letter writing with Postman Pat, balloon modelling, along with prizes and giveaways. Look alike characters in the parade will include Elsa, Paddington, LOL Dolls and Dumbo It will be an action packed six hours, ensuring fun and amusement for all the family but we’ll have to keep a watch out for the Grinch who is always happy to ruin the day!

“In addition, the seasonal pop-up shop, Calendar Club, will be opening as from early November so there will be plenty of opportunity to start the early Christmas shopping”

A couple will soon realise their ambition of establishing their own business by opening a new family-run barbering and beauty service, known as House of Luxxe, in Yate Shopping Centre.

Leeanne Worsey and Ross Cox have joined forces to form The House of Luxxe which is taking occupation of 8 West Walk this week for fit-out with a view to opening on 26th October.

Andrew Lowrey, Yate Shopping Centre Manager: “It is always a pleasure to welcome new talents and services to the Centre and never more so than when they are just starting out as a new business. It is services such as House of Luxxe that make Yate Shopping Centre such an attractive shopping destination, a real mixture of local independents alongside national high street chains”.

Leeanne: “I’ve trained and worked in law for the majority of my career. However, I’ve always had a strong interest in the beauty sector. For the last year I’ve been growing my network within the industry and training in beauty services. Building a great client base.

“My son, Ross has always had a dream of running a barbershop and has worked in barbering for many years. So it’s only natural that opening a shop should be the next stage.

“Our vision is to provide a reasonably priced superior service to all our clients in a safe and comfortable setting using quality products.”

House of Luxxe is formed from the amalgamation of Shaves and Fades and Nailed and Lashed following a successful initial year and having built a solid client base the next step was a salon/shop.

Savers, the national retailer offering branded health, home and beauty products is moving in to Yate Shopping Centre.

The retailer has just taken occupation of the former Dorothy Perkins unit on West Walk and has started it’s fit-out programme, and is looking to open early November.

Centre Manager Andrew Lowrey said “This is a big plus for the shopping centre with another high street retailer bringing more variety and great offers. Today’s retail market is very competitive but Yate’s popularity as a prominent shopping centre still attracts national brands. We look forward to Savers opening their new store ready for the Christmas trading period”

Savers have over 450 stores nationwide oofering a wide range of healthcare and beauty products at very competitive prices.

It must be summer – the ever popular beach is back in Yate Shopping Centre returning on Friday, 24th May for the summer.

Its opening coincides with two fun and entertainment days during the school half term break: on Tuesday, 28th May – ‘Come & Meet Zog’ and on Friday, 31st May – ‘One Great Day’, an action-packed activities day.

Andy Lowrey, Yate Shopping Centre Manager: “The beach is one of our favourite and most successful attractions, appealing to visitors across all ages. It signals the start of the summer months and runs through to the end of August.

“As always there will be a programme of fun-filled activities throughout the summer months, the full programme of which will be published in due course, but initial activities are ‘Come & Meet Zog’ and ‘One Great Day’. These events are an important element of our customer relations allowing shoppers to relax in the Centre with their families.”

On Tuesday, 28th May, it will be everybody’s opportunity to meet Zog, a keen young dragon in his first years at Dragon School and now a popular family film based on the picture book written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. ‘Meet & Greet’ sessions will be held on the half hour from 11.30am until 3.30pm.

Friday, 31st May will be a free fun-day for all the family with a variety of activities and the public is encouraged to attend dressed as their favourite Disney character for a chance to win a prize.

Further prizes will also be on offer for face painting and balloon modelling activities which will be on-going throughout the day with three special meet & greet character lookalike sessions:

• 10.00am and 1.00pm – Buzz & Wood
• 10.30am and 2.00pm – Princesses
• 11.30am and 3.00pm – Nemo & Dory

The world-wide fight against polio was recently highlighted on the streets of Yate Shopping Centre when Yate & District Rotary Club brought its Iron Lung campaign to the Centre.

The Club has been fundraising for the campaign for nearly 35 years during which time it has seen the disease eradicated from 125 endemic countries in 1985 to just two nowadays – Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Andy Lowrey, Yate Shopping Centre Manager: “We have been supporting the local Rotary Club for several years now as part of our ongoing community work. Most recently we were privileged to host their Iron Lung campaign trailer so the public could learn about polio and the specialist treatment whilst donating much needed funds to the cause.”

David Picton, Publicity Officer for Yate & District Rotary Club, said: “We are lucky to have a very good working relationship with Yate Shopping Centre and its management who have regularly allowed us to put displays in vacant units to present our work and undertake fundraising activities.

“The Iron Lung campaign is one of our key activities and for every pound we raise The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation gives two so the people of Yate know that their contributions are being dramatically increased and are going to a very valuable cause.”

The ‘Iron Lung’ is used to treat patients suffering from polio which can effect the body’s muscles and cause breathing problems.

A Southmead Hospital maternity charity is to benefit from a month’s high street presence at Yate Shopping Centre during March.

Cosham Birthing Centre and Southmead Mendip Birthing Suite, both part of the Southmead Hospital Charity Maternity Fund, will benefit from the sales of a baby pop-up shop started by two mothers who recently gave birth at the centres.

The pop up shop will be opening in 8 West Walk for the month of March as Andrew Lowrey, Yate Shopping Centre Manager, explains: “The Centre thinks is a very valuable and worthwhile cause and as such has given the Charity a month’s free exposure in the Centre to see baby clothes”.

Adrian Brown, corporate and community manager at Southmead Hospital Charity, said: “We’re very grateful to Emma and the team for organising the pop up shop and raising money for us.  All the proceeds will go to our maternity fund, and will help support projects to make life even better for our mums and babies.  The shop is an inspired idea and we’re delighted to be the chosen charity.”

Mothers, Emma Doney and Claire Davis, who are organising the pop-up shop said: “We both had such positive experiences of birth at Cossham Birthing Centre and Southmead Mendip Birthing Suite that we wanted to give something back to make sure others can have the same. Neither of us sit still for long and therefore we thought, what a better way to spend our maternity leave than start The Baby Pop Up Shop in aid of Southmead Hospital Charity Maternity Fund!”

The new Home Bargains store in Yate Shopping Centre will be opening its doors to customers at 9am next Monday, 11th February.

Andrew Lowrey, Yate Shopping Centre Manager: “It’s great to have another prominent high street brand joining our ranks at the Centre. The unit has been fitted out ready for occupation and the shelves will now be stocked ready for the opening.

“As one of the country’s fastest growing and highest rated retailers, Home Bargains has a reputation among shoppers for delivering well known brands and products at reasonable prices. It will bring an excellent offer that we feel will be very popular with our customers.  Importantly, it occupies one of the larger vacant units in South Walk, and will help maintain a steady footfall in this part of the Centre which will benefit independent traders.”

T J Morris Ltd, trading as Home Bargains, took over the ground floor of 21-27 South Walk at the end of October 2018 and over the last three months has modified and  fitted-out the 15,000 square feet store got suit its trading requirements.

Home Bargains, one of the country’s leading discount retailers, will be opening a store in Yate Shopping Centre in early February 2019.

T J Morris Ltd, trading as Home Bargains, took over the ground floor of 21-27 South Walk on 29th October 2018 and has started the fit-out with a view to opening the 15,000 square feet store on 9th February 2019.

Andrew Lowrey, Yate Shopping Centre Manager: “This is another demonstration of Yate’s attraction to successful high street chains. As one of the country’s fastest growing and highest rated retailers, Home Bargains will bring an excellent offer that we feel will be very popular with our customers.

“Yate Shopping Centre is experiencing a period of sustained success with very few vacant units defying the national trend. We currently have a vacancy rate of just under 5% compared with a national rate of above 10%. We have also seen an increase in the number of visitors to the town centre over the last twelve months against a national fall in numbers in a very difficult trading market.

“It is no secret that retailers at all levels are reviewing their options for the next twelve months in the light of the threat of Brexit and the continued impact of online shopping. I am pleased with the way that Yate Shopping Centre is performing and Home Bargains is another major boost for us”.