Staff at The Range at Surrey Quays say they’re ‘disheartened’ following news that the store will close in May.
British Land confirmed the news in a statement online and said the unit would be ‘refitted’ with leisure facilities and restaurants ‘by the Autumn.’
It is part of the Canada Water Masterplan which includes the construction of a new town centre on the Surrey Quays Shopping Centre site – where The Range is currently located.
One staff member who has worked at the store for years told us: “I speak for everyone at the shop when I say we are devastated.”
The employee, who would prefer to remain anonymous, said they found out two weeks ago but were ‘waiting for an outcome.’
“I don’t know what I’m going to do. There are lots of older women working there who have been there from the start.
“It’s going to be impossible for them to get another job now.”
In its statement, British Land said that when the unit has been refitted, new jobs will open up – but staff explained they had not been informed of this.
“Nothing has been said to us about new job opportunities.
“The only other option for work is if another store has vacancies – but the nearest Range is in Croydon so that’s not realistic for most people.”
Commenting on the loss of the store itself, they said: “It’s very busy over there.
“There’s a market for it there. Kids use it for school supplies, and elderly and disabled people come to get art supplies and household goods.
“I feel for the local people – I know they’re very sad about it.”
The full online statement from British Land reads: “We wanted to provide some clarification on the plans for The Range unit in response to comments on social media.
“We can confirm The Range will be closing in the coming months and appreciate this will be impacting some people’s jobs.
“The unit housing The Range won’t be demolished at this time; instead, it will be refitted and will re-open from this autumn offering places to eat, drink and enjoy leisure time, which will in turn offer people a variety of new job opportunities. We will be announcing further details soon.
“We will continue to work with our retailers in Surrey Quays Shopping Centre to drive footfall and retain a vibrant, diverse retail mix in the medium term. A varied mix of shops and restaurants will be provided in the coming years linked to the new phases of the development. We will continue to keep the community updated via our usual channels.”
There are already plenty of places in Canada Water to eat and socialise. What we need are decent shops not yet another eatery. British Land are making a fancy wasteland at Surrey Quays ?