Mason Moore | Hinckley Reporter | 2 November 2021
TWO PROPERTIES on Regent Street in Hinckley town centre have been hit with new “under offer” signs placed above them, hinting at potential new occupants taking on the spaces.
“Under offer” signs are placed above, or to the side of, the exterior of any premises when an offer has been accepted but the contracts have not yet been exchanged.
The first is the former Voodoo Lounge nightclub site, based at Unit 1a in one of the newly-created retail units in the Highcross Building.
Over the past few months, workmen have been refurbishing the interior of the site from its nightclub use ready to become a brand new retail unit.
The “under offer” sign above the unit was first spotted on Friday, 22 October, where the surrounding wooden boards hiding public view to the space were taken down and the contractors had completed the refurbishment works from club to retail.
But, it would not necessarily have to take on life as a shop just because it currently has a retail use at this moment in time, as their neighbouring occupants are not retail.
Neighbouring occupants, Forever Sun, opened in unit 1b by changing their use from retail to a tanning salon, and Benito’s, who are taking on unit 1c, have applied for an alcohol licence, but will have to submit planning documents to open as an eatery.
Just over the road, another “under offer” sign has appeared above another unit – the former Euronics electronics shop, located at 35 – 37 Regent Street.
Euronics shut their shop in mid-2018 and the unit has looked rather sorry for itself since – it was always ‘to let’ with the shutters down, sporting a few faded stickers on them from some of the electronic brands that they once used to sell inside.
But, the constant wait to find a taker for a space is finally no more, as that has slapped with an “under offer” sign, showing that somebody is interested in breathing a new lease of life into the space.
The space is a double-fronted unit and has a total of three floors that the occupant could use.
The Free Press did reach out to Wards, who are the chartered surveyors responsible for managing the properties, but they are remaining tight-lipped about the deals and occupants.
A Wards spokesperson said that they are ‘unable to release’ any information on the two properties at this stage.
Regent Street’s newly-opened businesses
This year, Regent Street have seen a wave of brand new businesses set up shop there – and business has been booming coming out of the last lockdown.
Back on 15 April, Steve Sinner, a tattoo artist from Hinckley, opened his brand new Viking-themed tattoo parlour, named “Black Helm Tattoo”, housed inside of the space that was once home to a toy shop named Hubbard’s Toy Cupboard.
On 9 October, a paranormal research centre named ‘Haunted Antiques Research Centre’, opened a crafts shop inside of the former Coventry Building Society space, which had sat untouched since late 2019 when they moved over to The Crescent.
On 22 October, aforementioned tanning salon, Forever Sun, who previously only had locations in Lichfield and Aldridge, opened in part of the old Quartz nightclub building.
Upcoming new Regent Street ventures
On 16 October, an alcohol licence was spotted for Benito’s, a Mexican restaurant who are taking on unit 1c in the Highcross Building – they are based in London and Oxford, and once had a Leicestershire location inside of Leicester’s Highcross shopping mall.
It is not yet known when Benito’s plan to make further information known about the new restaurant – the Free Press have tried to reach out but have not yet heard back.
As we reported at the end of October, it was announced on social media sharing site, Facebook, that a new group of owners have taken on the former Vis a Vis bar and that they will trade under the new name of ‘Out Out’, named after a Micky Flanagan sketch.