high street – Wareing & Company

A new Nisa convenience store will soon be coming to a prime location in Leamington and will create 15 jobs in the town after Wareing & Company agreed a deal for a growing retail property business to buy the site.

The former Paperchase on 36 Parade in Leamington town centre will be replaced by a new Nisa store following the 5,709 sq ft building’s purchase by Dougall Group, a family-owned property company which owns a variety of convenience stores in the West Midlands and London.

The shop, which sits between McDonald’s and Flying Tiger Copenhagen and comes with a Pret A Manger-branded coffee machine, will open in September.

Ricky Dougall, director of Dougall Group, was informed of the opportunity by Jonathan Blood, director at Wareing & Company.

“We had been looking at opening a store in Leamington for a while, but we’d never been able to find a property that met all of our needs,” Ricky said.

“I’d been in contact with Jon on a previous deal that we didn’t pursue in the end, but we kept in touch because of our desire to find a Leamington site.

“When he told us about this opportunity – especially to buy rather than rent – we knew this was the site we were looking for.

“36 Parade is in an excellent location being right next to the main bus stops and attracting a high level of footfall.

“And the flexibility of Nisa being an independent retailer means we can adjust our stock depending on what our customers really need, and the Pret coffee machine will be a fantastic addition for those wanting a quick, quality coffee fix.

“We’re looking forward to opening in September and we’re confident Leamington will embrace the new store warmly. If all goes well, we’d be looking at potentially finding more sites in south Warwickshire to expand our portfolio further.”

Jonathan Blood, director at Wareing & Company, added: “It is rare for a property to be up for sale on Leamington’s Parade as opposed to a rental opportunity, and we’re delighted that Dougall Group has purchased the building.

“We had strong hopes for the site due to its enviable location on one of the busiest streets in the town in terms of footfall.

“It’s great news that 15 jobs will be created as a result of the store opening, and once again shows the strength of Leamington’s retail market compared to towns of similar sizes.”

A popular music shop in Leamington is marking 36 years of trading with a move to bigger premises.

Presto Music, one of the UK’s premier sources of sheet music, classical and jazz recordings, musical instruments, accessories and music gifts, is relocating to new premises after Wareing & Co successfully completed the deal.

Presto Music opened in 1986 as a specialist classical recording retailer, loved by many and visited by thousands of customers. The store has seen a number of locations – its most recent, 7 Park Street, is where the business has grown into what it is today.

The current shop will close at 1pm on 20 October and, after the move, customers will be able to find the new store at 23 Regent Grove, CV32 4NN, from 24 October.

The new site is a 7,000 sq. ft purpose built location and will continue to stock the wide range of instruments and accessories, recordings, printed music and gifts that music lovers have enjoyed throughout the years, with an expanded range of next-step instruments, specifically curated for the advancing beginner and beyond.

Phyllida Martignetti, Shop Manager of Presto Music, said: “We are so thrilled to be able to offer our very loyal customer base a new, vibrant store in the form of our Regent Grove location. The new store will bring with it expanded instrument ranges, such as Pearl flutes, Yanagisawa saxophones, Blackstar acoustic amplifiers, Faith guitars and several instruments from Conn Selmer, catering for all students and players up to a semi-professional standard, which is incredibly exciting, along with the reintroduction of our events, concerts and album launch series.”

The store will also house a multipurpose space for community focussed events and experiences such as: masterclasses, product launches, demonstrations, workshops, group music lessons and a performance area for album launch events and local concerts. The offices, where the editorial, content and customer experience teams operate, will also be located on the new premises.

The current rental scheme will also be available on a selection of string, woodwind and brass instruments: the perfect solution for those who want to make sure a new instrument is the right one before committing to a purchase.

The store will continue to offer a repair service, carried out by our two experienced instrument technicians working in store, particularly focused on the areas of brass and woodwind.

Jonny Brading, Commercial Director of Presto Music, said: “Our vision is to offer an inclusive, enhanced musical environment for our customers, where they can visit and benefit from our newly created in-house team of instrument specialists. It’s an exciting time to bring something new to the music retail industry.”

Chris O’Reilly, CEO of Presto Music, said: “We believe passionately in the power of music to enrich lives, and are very excited by the opportunities our new expanded store will bring to the people of Warwickshire and indeed the whole Midlands area. We’ll be bringing world class musicians to Leamington Spa to launch their new albums and inspire the next generation.”

Bill Wareing, owner of Wareing & Co, said: “Presto Music has been a key fixture in Leamington for many years now, so it’s brilliant we’ve been able to secure a lease on a great new unit in Regent Grove which is only a short walk away from its former premises. We wish Presto Music every success in its new home.”

Opening hours: Monday to Friday: 9.30am to 5.30pm and Saturday: 9am to 5.30pm.

Tag: high street

Leamington music shop to move to bigger premises after Wareing & Co completes deal