Two new lettings at Bristol’s oldest retail centre, The Arcade in Broadmead, have left just one unit remaining – with its marketing agents expecting to sign up an occupier for that soon.
Many of the 24 units in the Grade II listed scheme, which is almost 200 years old, had become vacant over recent years as their small size deterred traditional retail chains. 
The centre’s units typically have ground floors of around 200sq ft to 1,500 sq ft and most have basement and several upper floors.
But following a repositioning of The Arcade, it has become a honeypot for Bristol’s burgeoning indie retail scene – leaving all but one of the units occupied.
The latest to move in is Sobeys Vintage Clothing, pictured below, which has built up a loyal local customer base since first opening in Park Street several years ago. It is now trading from 1,500 sq ft of space in the largest of the units in The Arcade.
The independent vintage and reworked clothing company also has branches in Exeter and Cardiff, riding the current fashion for stylish clothes from the past.
Also new to the historic shopping centre is Gallery Du 808, which sells framed original art, prints and ancillary items.
Other new occupiers include food and drink operators Rollin’ Vietnamese and the Wok Boxstix noodle restaurant.
Joint agents for The Arcade are Bristol-based Williams Gunter Hardwick and Cardiff’s Oscar Clarke.
Williams Gunter Hardwick director Stuart Williams described Sobeys’ arrival as “a perfect fit for The Arcade”.
He added: “Over the last year we’ve repositioned The Arcade as being at the heart of ‘interesting shopping’ in Bristol – a place where you can find independent retailers offering something a bit different from the chain stores. Sobeys is an ideal addition to the mix.”
He said the one remaining unit had attracted a number of interested parties – meaning The Arcade could soon be fully occupied for the first time in many years.
The Arcade, built in 1824 as one of a connecting pair of Arcades, enjoys a particularly high footfall as shoppers use this as a route from Broadmead to the Primark and Debenhams department stores on The Horsefair.
