We counted the number of empty shops in Swindon town centre

These are often the opinions of locals when discussing Swindon’s main retail hub, but does this perception match the reality?

One of the sticks that is often used to beat the town centre is the number of empty units that it has, so we decided to look at the current situation in the much-maligned destination.

In the past year, there have been some blows to the area like the recent departures of Marks and Spencer and Wilko, but there have also been several new additions, often locally-owned, independent businesses that now call the town centre their home.

So what is the current state of Swindon town centre?

Havelock Street

Havelock Street, Swindon town centre (Image: Newsquest)Several new businesses have sprung up in this diverse stretch of the town centre in the past year, including Indian Fusion Pizza, Rowan’s Closet Arcadia and Post and Packing Swindon.

These join stalwarts of the area like Vince Ayris shoe repair, key cutting and engraving, Blues Café and Luso Café.

This bunting-adorned slice of the town centre is now almost fully populated with just one empty unit discovered during a recent visit, which was the former JJ’s Hair Salon.

Havelock Square

Havelock Square, Swindon town centre (Image: Newsquest)

As well as serving as one of the entrances to the Brunel Shopping Centre, this area features a Poundland, Iceland, The Entertainer, CEX, and Gracie Barra Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu.

Triple Two Coffee, Greggs and the fairly new The Bap Korean restaurant are also there for anyone who might want to eat.

In terms of empty units, there’s the former Blacks outdoor store which was most recently the base of Gateway Furniture charity organisation until it left last year.

The former Gateway Furniture store, the empty Brunel Rooms nightclub and another store nearby (Image: Newsquest)This has been refurbished into several smaller units which currently sit empty, as does the former Brunel Rooms nightclub which came under new ownership in 2021 but hasn’t seen any progress since.

Another unit next to the unused club also sits empty.

Regent Street (towards The Savoy)

Regent Street towards The Savoy pub and Regent Circus (Image: Newsquest)While the section of Regent Street heading from the Havelock Street turning towards Regent Circus past the Savoy has seen a lot of new businesses, it has only really seen one leave the area – Shoezone – which is now in a different part of the town centre.

New additions include the UK’s first all-electric Premier Inn hotel, food and drink businesses Asaga Noodles, Stax and Snax and Dessert 4 You and Smile Dental Care.

Boswells Café has also relocated from within the Brunel Shopping Centre to the former Forces Support charity shop, which many will remember as The Next store.

Across from Boswells, the historic WW Hunter building has been refurbished and is now home to Simo's Barber. 

Towards the other end a card shop was replaced by another card shop - Cards Direct, Taco Bell is now well established, Shoezone has moved in and work appears to be being done on the empty House of Tweed building ahead of something new coming there. 

Regent Circus

Regent Circus, Swindon town centre (Image: Newsquest)Regent Circus is one of the areas of town where empty units are more noticeable both in the area around the Cenotaph and the new complex.

By the Cenotaph there is a row of empty units starting with the former Polish restaurant Restauracja U Agnieszki round to Ladbrokes, but still only a handful. 

At the Regent Circus Complex, only Nandos remains of the restaurants on offer with new additions Funky Grilla and Dough & Co. both closing a year after opening, and Lamaya closing its doors.

Empty units at the Regent Circus complex (Image: Newsquest)Aside from that, Boom Battle Bar and Cineworld remain, as well as the pop-up Swindon and Wiltshire Pride store and there appears to be plans underway for the empty Morrisons. 

The 3 House nightclub is on the way to the area and new additions include The Kop and Kaizen Burger and Sushi. 

Commercial Road

Commercial Road, Swindon town centre (Image: Newsquest)

Moving down Commercial Road there are only a handful of empty units there - with the most notable being the former Mylos Dessert store, with another seemingly set to be an expanded Chancellors Estate and Letting Agents. 

Several other empty units can be seen down the road, with only a few additions, chiefly the new Brazillian restaurant Recanto, which itself replaced Burger and Sushi Now which relocated to Regent Circus. 

Wharf Green

Wharf Green, Swindon town centre (Image: Newsquest)Once a bustling area of town thanks to the big screen, Wharf Green is somewhat a shadow of its former self, and it's also an area where - thanks to suspected future development in the Brunel Shopping Centre - a number of empty units can be seen, many of which have been covered up with new graphics. 

The once lively tented market still sits empty and unused but the adjacent Market Street row of stores is full. 

The empty Tented Market, Swindon town centre (Image: Newsquest)

McDonald's is essentially the only open business in this area until you get to Canal Walk, which is almost entirely filled - minus three stores - with businesses in this area including JD Sports, HSBC, Waterstones which moved from inside the Brunel Shopping Centre, Greggs, EE and Three. 

Brunel Shopping Centre

The Brunel Shopping Centre, Swindon town centre (Image: Newsquest)The Brunel shopping centre is currently a tale of two halves, on the side adjoining the Brunel North Car Park there are only two businesses that remain with the rest of it empty and stores being ripped out - one of which, Buzz Gym, is being refurbished. 

Many of the stores on this side - for which a planning application indicates it is set to be turned into tower blocks - have been relocated to the other like Whey Okay or Sweets Galore

Others have been moved elsewhere in the town centre, including the aforementioned Boswells and Waterstones as well as Holland and Barrett, F. Hinds and The Swindon Artists Forum to name just a few. 

But on the other side - minus Marks and Spencer and Sainsbury's-shaped holes - there is a bustling and thriving collection of brand stores and local independents including Something Different, Incredible Comic Shop, Warhammer, The Forum and Claires as well as a growing entertainment offering with the new High Score Arcade and the upcoming Football Fiesta fan park. 

The Parade

Debenhams has been closed for a number of years now (Image: Newsquest)Other than Debenhams which is set to be transformed into a self-storage facility with other retail units, The Parade is positively lacking in empty units thanks to the welcome addition of places like The Swindon Hub and Poundland replacing the recently closed Wilko. 

There is one other empty unit next to the Survivor charity store, but that's about it for this area which also features H&M, Schuh, Foot Asylum, Tesco Express, a newly opened William Hill, Swindon Sisters Alliance, RSPCA, Second Cup Coffee, Infinity Mist vape store and The Emporium of Loveliness second-hand shop. 

Bridge Street/Fleet Street

The end of Fleet Street, Swindon town centre (Image: Newsquest)

While the retail offering for Swindon town centre seems to have recovered a little, the same cannot be said for the town's nightlife offering, with Bridge Street and Fleet Street showcasing a number of closed clubs, pubs and bars. 

Liquor Lounge, Lava, Evo Cafe, Remix, Groove, and The Broadwalk all stand empty. 

But, independent businesses like The Drink Valley and the upcoming jointly-operated Cow Pub and Yolo nightclub are hoping to revive the area, alongside longstanding fixtures like The Power Lounge and the Wetherspoons-owned Sir Daniel Arms. 

Some of the empty town centre clubs and pubs that have closed over the years in Swindon town centre (Image: Newsquest)The verdict

In conclusion, while the town centre still has issues with anti-social behaviour and crime, and yes, it still has some empty stores, there is still a lot on offer there. 

In the last year or so in particular, there have been many businesses opening at a rate that seems to be faster than those closing.

This is supported by the numbers. In 2021 there were 54 empty units found by an Adver reporter and this didn't include Commercial Road. 

This year, with the addition of Commercial Road, and without the Arcade side of the Brunel Shopping Centre or the Tented Market which are both set for development in the future and so are empty on purpose, there were only 33 empty units - so things have moved in the right direction. 

All 33 are pictured in the gallery at the top of the article.

What are your thoughts on the town centre? What can be improved? Send us your opinions in a letter to the editor by emailing newsdesk@swindonadvertiser.co.uk.