A spate of shop openings in Hemel Hempstead have provided a welcome shot in the arm for the local economy.
Following on from a vote of confidence in UK’s continuing recovery from the Bank of England this week, the opening of the first of two Aldi stores yesterday combined with two more new arrivals in the town centre are being hailed as grounds for confidence that the worst could be over.
Although there are still a string of empty units available, the glossy new arrivals are an indicator that things are looking up for Hemel Hempstead’s reviving town centre.
Fashion store Select opened in Marlowes on Tuesday, while another fashion retailer, Roman, opened in the Riverside Shopping Centre last Thursday.
The centre has already seen outdoors equipment store Millets and independent pasty shop A Real Taste of Cornwall open in the last few months, while existing store H&M doubled in size in September, filling the vacant space left by failing HMV earlier in the year.
Centre manager David Robinson said: “Nationally there are concerns for the future of local high streets but Hemel Hempstead is showing signs of recovery and Riverside is starting to buck the trend.
“Welcoming retailers to the shopping centre is extremely good for the local economy and we are very pleased with the way Riverside is progressing.”
