Kings Chase Shopping Centre has been dealt a double blow in recent weeks with the closures of not only TG Jones and its Post Office branch but also long-running independent clothing retailer Quest.
Writing on the shop’s Facebook account in September, Quest’s co-owner Dawn Tadghighi stated that the Kingswood branch had closed after 34 years because of “too many changes for us to carry on”. Quest’s branch in Yate remains open.
The closure had been announced in an emotional video in July, when Dawn, who owns the shop with husband Behrooz, attributed the closure to the decline in high street businesses generally and “undesirables” hanging around. She said it had been “one of the hardest decisions” she had ever made but they didn’t want to be locked into another expensive lease.
The community aspect of traditional shopping is what Dawn says staff and customers will miss the most: “We were old school and that’s what people like. A lot of the ladies are on their own and that’s how we’ve got so friendly with them. They come in for a chat and they know there’s no pressure on them. We might be the only faces they see all day or they chat to all day. So that’s what’s very sad.”
Cllr Sean Rhodes, a South Glos councillor and chair of Kingswood Town Council, told the Voice: “The closure of any business in Kingswood is sad and concerning to see, especially one that has been around for as long as Quest has, and the potential sight of boarded up shops in Kingswood is not something I’m prepared to sit back and just accept.
“We now know that TG Jones is also closing, putting our Post Office service at risk going into the future. So there are clearly very serious economic challenges, which are going to require creative solutions to protect the community value found in Kings Chase and Regent Street.”
Discussing the reasons behind the closure, Dawn explained: “It’s been a lot of factors for quite a few years. Obviously, the main thing is high rents, rates and the service charges in the shopping centre. There’s no help to be on the high street any more.”
She also attributes the decision to close to the rise in persistent anti-social behaviour in the area, as well as the move from free parking at the Kings Chase car park to pre-paid parking rather than paying when you leave.
“Shopping should be a destination,” says Dawn. “You should be able to go for a coffee, meet your friends, go shopping, maybe go to the hairdressers and then do your big food shop. You can’t be on a timer to do all those things. You should be able to do everything and then pay when you leave. I have voiced that opinion many times but no one seems to listen.”
In terms of the anti-social behaviour, Dawn says shoplifting has been an issue but her bigger concerns comes from drug users and physical violence happening on the street just outside. “It just seems lawless,” she sighs. “There doesn’t seem to be anybody manning the shopping centre.”
Quest started life as a popular market stall at several markets around Bristol before Dawn and Behrooz decided to open their first bricks and mortar store in Kingswood in 1992. “We researched where we would go and Kingswood was a vibrant shopping centre. And we thought, ‘This is the place to start off our first shop.’”
When Dawn saw a worker fixing a ‘to rent’ sign outside the future Quest unit on the high street, she immediately rang the letting agent and secured the lease within the hour.
“It was a lovely, vibrant shopping centre back then,” she remembers. “But the look of the high street now is very unappealing for people to come to and spend some time there.”
Cllr Rhodes added: “South Gloucestershire Council has secured considerable investment into Kings Chase and Regent Street, and is delivering real improvements that will make the shopping area a more attractive destination. But we have to acknowledge that shopping habits are continuing to change, and the cost of living means that we all have less money to spend on our high streets.
“At the next full council meeting I will be asking council cabinet members about how the council is preparing for these changes, and how we might need to reimagine what our high streets look like, not just in Kingswood, but across the whole of South Gloucestershire because doing nothing cannot be an option.”
South Glos Council owns Kings Chase and a spokesperson told the Voice: “We are sorry to learn that one of the stores at the Kings Chase Shopping Centre has decided to close and wish the owners well for the future. There has been significant investment and improvement work on Kingswood’s Regent Street and Kings Chase recently, and occupancy levels for the retail units in the shopping centre remains high.
“We are currently carrying out repairs and restoration to 37 shop fronts and upper facades on the high street. These improvements including new timber fascias, updated signage and enhanced lighting. The iconic Kingswood Clock Tower will also benefit from cleaning, repairs and new lighting. Funded by the West of England Mayoral Combined Authority, these works form part of the wider regeneration of Kingswood, alongside the ongoing transformation of Kingswood Park.”
Following the closure of New Look in 2023, there are now no stand-alone clothing retailers in Kingswood, although some clothes can be found in supermarkets and charity shops.