Hotel plan for historic city department store

Aug 20 2008 by Graeme King, The Journal

A NEW 120 bed hotel is being planned for the centre of Sunderland – directly above the historic Joplings department store.

Property firm Sunderland Turton owns the building and plans to transform the empty upper floors, as well upgrading the store with a major make-over.

The company is said to be in talks with a number of potential hotel operators who want to gain a foothold in the Sunderland market.

The owners of Joplings – Liverpool based Vergo Retail – are believed to be supportive of the plan which has the potential to boost trade.

Neil Duckworth of Sunderland Turton, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, said the company was aiming to turn the top three floors of the Joplings building into a hotel while retaining and improving the department store beneath.

Sunderland Turton is believed to have carried out market research which shows there is a demand for hotel accommodation in Sunderland.

The Sunniside Partnership regeneration agency, which is responsible for improving and promoting the eastern side of Sunderland city centre, has welcomed the possibility of a new hotel development in the city.

In May last year, Joplings was saved from closure after the collapse of its former parent company Owen Owen.

The business is now owned by Vergo, which also operates Robbs department store in Hexham and the Lewis’s department store in Liverpool city centre.

The company is run by former Owen Owen boss David Thompson, who was in charge of that business when it was forced to call in administrators from Kroll in March last year.