After the recent opening of a brand new Sports Direct, a mini golfing centre and The Landmark, Harrow Town Centre has been changing for the better in many ways.
The centre of Harrow is home to St Anns and St George’s Shopping Centres, two of the largest in North London, and the town is not short of places to eat out with friends, or go for a drink.
After the many events the town centre team put on on throughout the year, there’s also fairground rides, food stalls and often mini markets that are hosted on St Anns Road, these usually feature quirky gift stalls and food from around the world.
Whilst all the changes are bringing many new customers to the centre, we asked our group members what other new shops they would like to see when paying a visit.
“Tesco clothing or George clothing… maybe have space in Landmark or Matalan.”
“Some decent shops, bring back River Island, need a Zara or Office”.
“Independent artisan with more than helpful business rates. Shops that help create community. People can buy all the big brands online. We don’t need to go anywhere to buy them. Give us shops that are unique, artisan which are unique or rare. Support them with Harrow Council and other social media and give them beneficial rents until they can hold their ground. Make Harrow somewhere unique people will shop because we can’t go to Uxbridge or Watford to buy what we have. Support community fun events in town and as a tip…just because I work there but live in Harrow….take a look at what Love Uxbridge does to draw people into the town centre to shop. Harrow needs to wake up. It lacks courage and creativity. It’s just about the money now.”
“Game & Entertainment for winter time. In both shopping centres (there) are restaurants and coffee shops. Also, a big soft play like the one in Watford.”
“Wasabi, Waitrose, Oliver and Bonas, Fat Face, North Face, Dunelm, Phase Eight, Hobbs, Reiss, Ted Baker.”
”Peacocks. Wealdstone was the wrong place for it.”
“I think they should of split the Debenhams site in half and given us two separate shops.”
“Answer to the question: Wagamama or B&M.”
”I’d like to see something like the arcade we had back when St George’s opened. It was called The Edge and had bumper cars, loved playing Daytona! Something like that would be just amazing but I doubt it will happen now as it might attract crime to the town centre.”
“It would be nice to have a Dunelm and a Home Sense, seeing as the ones in South Harrow have now been closed.”
“Some proper butchers, bakers, greengrocers etc.”
“Fishing tackle, like youngs of Harrow, or McDonald’s …Shops are, in general screwed. When you can get delivered, items at 70% cost in shops or less, how can shops compete? Only late opening delivery or hot food shops do well now. And there is over abundance of them. In Spain and many euro countries, they have kitchens like a cupboard, no space, so you go to a restaurant. Flats and new builds here are like this. Mini kitchens. It’s part of a new design where people don’t cook any more. No food buying, no need for food shops, just restaurants. Makes control so much easier.”
“I love that Harrow town centre is always busy, regardless of what you think of it. I’d love to see Lush, Tiger and nice big secondhand shop (clothes, books and music) that could do a nice coffee and maybe even host some music, and workshops. OneForty do some amazing events and markets – would be great to see them inspire more stuff like this in the Borough.”
“A toy shop would be great! – the entertainer. B&M, home bargins, home sense.”
“Dunelm, Ikea. Also I have visited Landmark its coming along nicely – give it a chance. Harrow is lucky that someone took over Debenhams other then turning it into flats. This store should be supported esp if its providing jobs too.”
”More than anything I’d just want to have a decent pub, I’ve been everywhere and nothing compares to the old days of Yates, that was a great place to go at night.”
”Please bring a Global Buffet to Harrow. I don’t think I’d ever leave the place if they opened one of those in the town centre, there’s one in Watford and Wembley so why not?!.”
