Clarks Village
Clarks Village is a designer outlet shopping centre in Street in the English county of Somerset. The centre includes more than 90 high street and designer shops, mostly selling goods at discounted prices. There are also numerous coffee shops and a restaurant terrace including a number of well-known restaurants and fast food chains, such as Pret a Manger, Prezzo, Frankie & Benny's and Burger King [1]
Clarks Village is sited in the redundant factory buildings of C&J Clark which was established in Street during the 19th century when Cyrus Clark started a business in sheepskin rugs, later joined by his brother James, who introduced the production of woollen slippers and, later, boots and shoes.[2] but shoes are no longer manufactured there.
The site is owned by the Hermes Real Estate group and managed by REALM Ltd,[1] who also manage a number of other outlet centres in the United Kingdom.
In September 2013, a new centre manager Geoffrey Nidd took charge[3] and introduced a series of changes which attracted widespread condemnation of the local community, village tenants and shoppers. However, these changes have played their part in revitalising the village; in December 2014, Clarks Village welcomed a record-breaking 60,000 visitors to the centre to visit the Coca Cola truck,[4] and by the end of 2014 a record-breaking 9 new stores had opened (more than any other year in Clarks Village's trading history), including Musto, Seasalt, Lindt, The Cosmetics Company, Pizza Express, Jane Clayton & Co., Raging Bull, Ernest Jones and a Ben Sherman pop-up store.[5] Further expansion is planned in 2015 with a new Superdry store arriving in the shopping outlet in the summer.[6]
In August 2014, Clarks Village commissioned the World's Largest Topiary Shoe which was on display for six months [7]
Clarks Village selected local, Glastonbury-based charity Martha Care as the 2015 Charity of the year. The charity from had been on the verge of collapse after demand for their services outstripped the amount of money the charity was able to raise.[8]
The Shoe Museum, which is a short distance from Clarks Village,[9] provides a wealth of information about the history of Clarks and footwear manufacture in general,[9] and a selection of shop display showcards from the 1930s, 1950s and 1960s,[10] and television advertisements.[11] The frontage of the shoe museum includes the clock tower and water tower.[12]
References
- 1 2 "REALM corporate brochure" (PDF). REALM. p. 11.
- ↑ Scott, Shane (1995). The hidden places of Somerset. Aldermaston: Travel Publishing Ltd. p. 82. ISBN 1-902007-01-8.
- ↑ http://www.centralsomersetgazette.co.uk/Street-s-Clarks-Village-flowerbeds-improved/story-19917000-detail/story.html
- ↑ http://www.centralsomersetgazette.co.uk/Record-breaking-60-000-visitors-head-Clarks-Coca/story-25727794-detail/story.html
- ↑ http://www.centralsomersetgazette.co.uk/Shopping-outlet-opens-doors-major-high-street/story-23192682-detail/story.html
- ↑ http://www.westerngazette.co.uk/Superdry-open-new-store-Somerset/story-25889527-detail/story.html
- ↑ http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/PHOTO-World-s-largest-topiary-Clarks-Village/story-22915862-detail/story.html
- ↑ http://www.centralsomersetgazette.co.uk/Glastonbury-charity-Martha-Care-saved-Clarks/story-25934825-detail/story.html
- 1 2 "Shoe Museum". Information Britain. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
- ↑ "The Shoe Museum, Street". Nothing to see here. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
- ↑ "The Shoe Museum". Somerset Tourist Guide. Retrieved 12 July 2009.
- ↑ "Main roadside frontage to Clarks Factory, Clock Tower, 5 bay right return and Water Tower". Images of England. Retrieved 23 March 2008.
External links
Coordinates: 51°07′42″N 2°44′24″W / 51.128361°N 2.739866°W