THE OWNER of an independent clothing shop in Bournemouth has slammed the council for pedestrianising the town centre ahead of the closure of one of his stores.

Richmond Classics in Albert Road will be opening its doors for the last time today after 18 years of trade at the same location.

Owner Keith McNicol has claimed there are a number of reasons behind the closure of the store, most notably the council’s decision to pedestrianise Beale Place several years ago.

He said: The closure of our store on Albert Road is just sad. For BCP Council to put up a no entry sign and to stop access along the road is just mindless.

"These roads were a cut through onto Christchurch Road. The council have cut off the lifeblood to the street and let it deteriorate.

"Albert Road 10 years ago was a vibrant retail location. You have Criminal and Consortium there and we all worked together to make it a really nice place. It is so soul destroying."

The destination fashion store will close its doors on Saturday, September 25, but Mr McNicol’s other store in Westover Road, which has been running since 1988, will continue trading as usual.

The business owner pointed out his is not the only business to suffer as a consequence of the pedestrianisation of Beale Place, and has expressed concerns for the businesses left on the same street.

“What I don’t understand it why they would want to close off Albert Road and Yelverton Road. That horseshoe of shops helped bring people onto Christchurch Road,” he said

“The reason why they closed these roads was to help Beale Place and now Beales isn’t there anymore. They spent a lot of money pedestrianising that area which they could have spent on so many more things to have helped the area better.

“I feel very very very sad for the businesses that are still there as they are tied up in leases they cannot get out of.

“Pedestrianised areas do not create business.”

Mr McNicol said he already has his next business prospect in the pipeline.

Around 25 years ago, he opened a clothing store called ‘Lounge for Geeks and Freaks’ in the town which closed after a couple of months.

The store will now be returning to Bournemouth town centre as a pop-up vintage clothing store.

Mr McNicol said: “When we opened it in the mid-90s, it was way ahead of its time. A lot of people didn’t understand it. Now kids have been wearing vintage clothing for a couple of years.

“It is now acceptable to wear old clothing as long as it is referred to as vintage. People like that now.

“We are looking to launch it with the guys who are already there in The Arcade. They are a thrift shop called Go To Market.

“We want to make it quite a theatrical experience, for parents to reminisce about designs and brands and for both children and adults to buy them.

“We are bringing back brands that were big at the time of when the shop initially opened but are now desirable as vintage clothing. Brands like Timberland, Kangol and Filla.”

Deputy leader of BCP Council, Councillor Philip Broadhead, said: “In only the last week, a report by the Centre for Cities has revealed that Bournemouth is number two in the country for high street footfall recovery and spend.

"Our own evidence supports this, with our footfall numbers in Beale Place showing substantial increases from 2020, despite some shop closures, such as Beales and Top Shop.

"Much of this is no doubt to the reinvention of former high street staples to new, innovative offers – such as the plethora of new restaurants near to Albert Road alongside the weekly Sunday markets on this road and nearby, which have been possible because of our removal of the old steel canopy.

"Whilst there is still much to do, it’s clear to me that times are changing and those businesses that engage, update and reinvent are thriving. Central to our work regenerating our high streets will be to encourage exactly that type of thinking in the future.”