Sports Direct at Fox Valley has announced it will be closing next month, becoming the latest chain to leave the Stocksbridge shopping center.<\/p>\n
The retail outlet has already started advertising a closing down sale after rent hike disputes.<\/p>\n
One unnamed shopkeeper who complained to The Star last year over rent demands,\u00a0said: \u201cI think they could have been more understanding to all the tenants. There has been no leeway whatsoever, it has not been fair. It has left us angry.\u201d<\/p>\n
High Street giant Next left the South Yorkshire retail outlet last summer.<\/p>\n
Dransfield Properties LTD said: “Sports Direct will be closing their store at Fox Valley in March. The reason for the closure is that they wished to pay rent based on 4% of their turnover. Stocksbridge Regeneration Company Limited do not operate this policy at Fox Valley.<\/p>\n
“The rents at Fox Valley are extremely competitive, and so is the service charge. Sports Direct have been making a good level of profit from their unit.<\/p>\n
“We have several retailers who have expressed interest in taking the unit, and an announcement will be made shortly with regard to the incoming tenant.<\/p>\n
“Fox Valley is fully occupied, with footfall and visitor numbers up significantly compared to 2019 figures. The center continues to perform exceptionally well with a waiting list of interested tenants.”<\/p>\n
In April 2021, O\u2019Neill\u2019s barbershop relocated to the High Street after two years at Fox Valley, reportedly due to rent control at Fox Valley.<\/p>\n
A shopper in the Sports Direct store in Fargate said: \u201cIt would be a shame if it closed, I know a few of my friends who go up there, it is a shame these shops are closing – especially in centers, where visitors do not always want to shop online.\u201d<\/p>\n
Darren Mountain, 35, also put the blame on unyielding rent. He said: \u201cI think the loss is predominantly through rent and landlord control. It is about the land ownership – they control the rent, they get to dictate what is going to where \u2013 you will just have the biggest of the big chains.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sports Direct at Fox Valley has announced it will be closing next month, becoming the latest chain to leave the Stocksbridge shopping center.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39562,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[415],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39368","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community"],"yoast_head":"\n