A shopping district in Poole has been branded a “resounding success”, a year after its launch.
Kingland in Poole town centre is the first of its kind nationwide to offer small retailers the opportunity to trade rent and business rates free for the first two years.
Ten start-up businesses moved into the area in April last year as part of a £26 million scheme from Dolphin Shopping Centre owner Legal & General.
Greg Westover, Fund Head of Retail and Leisure at Legal & General, said: “Our investment towards enhancing Poole’s retail offering has been a resounding success and the Kingland initiative truly is testament to that.
“We have created a vibrant new high street with a fantastic community feel, enhancing footfall to the district and the Dolphin Centre, and have helped the dreams of some fantastic small business owners come true along the way.”
Plant and homeware shop Wild Roots has sold more than 12,000 plants in store and employs a team of five.
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Owner, Hope Dean, said: “The best thing about trading at Kingland is undoubtedly the community feel. We’re all in the same boat and are always sharing our successes and overcoming our worries together.
“The support from the public has been sometimes overwhelming because everyone has been so wonderful. I felt very positive when opening up Wild Roots, but never expected my business to grow as much as it has already in its first year.”
Last month, the latest retailer to arrive at Kingland opened its doors.
Plastic-free shop Bare Necessities launched at Kingland Crescent selling a variety of essentials.
Owner Stu Cake spent the last few years working alongside his mother-in-law Cheryl in Wareham in her own Bare Necessities shop.
He told the Daily Echo: “The response has been really good so far.
"It has been nice to see people come in and know what to do. But it’s also great to see people who don’t know what to do come in and give it their best and give it a try.
"It gets people’s brains ticking and makes them aware of their use of plastics.”
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