Crew Clothing to Open in Former Baileys Café on Bondgate Within

One of the more prominent empty units on Alnwick's main shopping street looks set to be filled. The national fashion brand Crew Clothing is understood to be moving into the former Baileys café on Bondgate Within, in the heart of the town centre, and is already advertising for staff — including a store manager — at the new shop.

For a town that prizes its independent shops, the arrival of a well-known high-street name in a long-visible unit is a practical boost. An occupied, freshly fitted-out shop front on Bondgate Within keeps footfall moving through the town centre and signals that Alnwick remains an attractive place for retailers to trade.

A familiar name for Northumberland shoppers

Crew Clothing already has a branch in nearby Morpeth, so the smart-casual brand is a known quantity for shoppers across the county. Filling the former café unit — most recently home to Baileys, a well-liked town-centre café — brings another draw to the run of shops on Bondgate Within, complementing rather than competing with Alnwick's strong line-up of independents just a short stroll away.

Flats plan lodged for the upper floor

Alongside the new shop, plans have been lodged with Northumberland County Council to convert the building's upper floor to residential use. The proposal — a notification of change of use from former office accommodation — would create two flats: one two-bedroom flat and one one-bedroom studio, both reached from a separate entrance and stairwell onto Market Street.

Best for:

The residential plans have been submitted, not approved. As with any application, the council will consider it in the usual way before any decision is made, so the flats remain a proposal for now.

Bringing the upper floors of town-centre buildings back into use is something many market towns are keen to encourage, helping to keep the centre lived-in as well as shopped-in. Taken together, a new shop at street level and homes above would put a prime Alnwick site back to full use.

You can read the original report in the Northumberland Gazette.

---

Got Alnwick news? Get in touch.