Despite the ongoing pandemic, and worries over the Omicron variant, there is good news as Salisbury continues to attract entrepreneurs.
Since January 2021, there has been a range of businesses to launch across the city centre ranging from a pet shop to sight-loss hub and a zero-waste store to contemporary gallery. The list includes:
Brown Street, Salisbury’s newest outdoor venue
Loake Shoemakers on Queen Street
Bohemia on the High Street
Sofas and Stuff, the newest store on New Canal
CUPP Bubble Tea on Silver Street
Wilding, a restaurant on the High Street
The Vanner Gallery opened on the High Street
Wiltshire Sight, sight loss hub on Catherine Street
Botanic Folk on Fisherton Street
Dusty Apron on Winchester Street
Blueberry Den zero-waste store
Captive Worlds which specialises in aquascaping and terrarium design, on Crane Street
Triple Two Coffee on Blue Boar Row
House of Tweed in the Old George Mall (pop up)
The Letteroom on St Thomas’ Square
Sonder Coffee on Salisbury High Street
Artisan Wine & Spirit Co, Winchester Street
Clearway Pets in the Cross Keys Shopping Centre
The Salisbury Orangery, café on Crane Street
The Salisbury Office, luxury office pods
Dan Collins, Business Manager at Salisbury BID, said: “It has not been the easiest of ends to 2021, but the appearance of so many new names on our streets proves that despite another tough year for businesses, that the future looks positive for Salisbury. It is a beautiful city that offers many opportunities for business owners and the fact that we have once again been named in the top ten bounce-back cities by Ipsos MORI can only increase its appeal.”
Salisbury, with the launch of these new businesses, is bucking the trend when it comes to its retail vacancy rate.
The latest figures collected by Salisbury BID and Springboard show that in October 2021 the number of empty ground floor units in Salisbury city centre stood at 9.8% which is lower than both the South West average (10.7%) and UK average (11.7%). That figure is also down on the same time last year - Salisbury had a 10.6% vacancy rate for October 2020.
Sofas and Stuff is the newest store to launch in Salisbury. The furniture business, which has taken over the old Laura Ashley premises on New Canal, opened its doors to customers on 27th December.
Clearway Pets was one of the first to open this year. They launched in the Cross Keys Shopping Centre in February.
Clearway Pets co-owner, Mike Adamson, said of their first year: “It’s been incredible. We cannot thank the local people of Salisbury enough for their support and how they have helped our business grow. We cannot wait to keep that growing next year.”
It has also been a good start for The Vanner Gallery on the High Street, which opened its doors in September. Gallery Director David Christie said: “We’ve had such a warm welcome, both from residents and visitors to the city. There is a knowledgeable and engaged audience here for good contemporary art and we believe our exhibition programming for 2022 and beyond will give people a reason to visit again and again. We’ll be linking in with the 2022 Salisbury International Arts Festival as well, so it’s going to be great year for culture and visual art in the city.”
There is more good news moving into 2022, with a new fishmonger due to open on Fish Row, an Escape Room on Catherine Street and a Lebanese food takeaway on New Canal just a few expected in the next few months.
It is a positive outlook for 2022 in Salisbury and, with more renewal, growth and original events forecast, Salisbury BID looks forward to welcoming even more businesses, shoppers and visitors into a vibrant city centre.
For all the latest Salisbury news, events and inspiration, head to www.experiencesalisbury.co.uk
In partnership with VisitWiltshire, Salisbury BID co-fund the Visit Salisbury website to promote the city to visitors. The Visit Salisbury website has a full events calendar for Salisbury.
