Latest News
July 28th, 2010
Manager Lesley Smith in the kiosk
Shoppers in The Shires can now exchange their unwanted gold jewellery for instant cash with the arrival of Hatton Goldsmiths, which has over 100 years experience in the retail jewellery sector and operates 40 stores throughout the UK and Ireland.
Nik Hallam, nation sales manger for the Northampton-based company, who has been responsible for the opening of the kiosk in The Shires said “We specialise in buying damaged, broken and unwanted gold jewellery. We pay competitive prices even when buying jewellery without hallmarks.”
Mr Hallam, who recruited Lesley Smith as store manageress for the kiosk situated close to The Shires’ Fore Street entrance, said “We are delighted to be associated with The Shires shopping centre and are looking forward to a long lasting relationship.”
The Shires centre manager John Grinnell said “We are pleased to be able to offer such a diverse range of shops and this is the first time we have been able to offer this type of facility. In the first few days a number of shoppers expressed interest and have already traded in some of their jewellery.”
Manageress Lesley said: “Customers have been surprised by the amount we pay for their old broken bits of gold. So my advice to everyone is to look in your jewellery boxes today you’ll be surprised what you find and how much it’s worth.”
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July 26th, 2010
A NEW shop, Premier Interiors, is opening in The Shires at the end of August.
Premier Interiors, currently in Church Street, is taking over the former Etc, Etc unit in the shopping centre and is due to open on August 28, selling furniture, beds, mirrors and blinds.
Run by two Trowbridge men Ken Bowman and Karl Maggs, who set up the business only last year, the shop adds further variety to the offering in the shopping centre.
The Shires’ centre manager John Grinnell said he was delighted that major retailers see The Shires as the town’s premier shopping outlet from which to operate.
With Cash for Gold now open in the kiosk at the Fore Street entrance and considerable interest being shown in the few other remaining vacant units it should not be too long before mall is once again fully let, he said.
Mr Bowman and Mr Maggs say they are really looking forward to the move – the main reason being The Shires’ tremendous footfall which sees in the region of 125,000 shoppers passing through every week.
“The store is a similar size to our existing shop but we hope and sincerely believe that the amount of passing trade will be a significant benefit,” said Mr Bowman. “Our products include leather, pine, oak and metal beds, ottoman beds and modern sofa beds, divans, children’s beds, bunk beds, mattresses and headboards. We also have a reclining chairs and footstools.”
Premier Interiors is now awaiting work being carried out in the shop by The Shires – including moving the staircase to the upper level to a different part of the shop – to be completed over the next few weeks, enabling it to meet its scheduled opening date.
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July 22nd, 2010
If you are interested in renting this unit please contact -
KLM Property – www.klmproperty.co.uk – Tel: 0207 317 3700 or
JLL Property – www.joneslanglasalle.co.uk – Tel: 0207 399 5555
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July 19th, 2010
The Body Shop in The Shires shopping centre is fast gathering signatures in its campaign against human trafficking and shoppers are urged to support the petition.
Human trafficking is now the third and fastest growing criminal industry in the world and it is estimated that 1.8 million children are trafficked for sex in virtually every country, including our own.
The Body Shop® has now partnered with ECPAT (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes) and the Somaly Mam Foundation to raise funds and awareness to combat this terrible epidemic.
The Shires shopping centre manager John Grinnell was the first to sign the petition which is available for customers to sign at The Body Shop store in the centre.
“It’s a terrible slight on our country and the whole human race that human trafficking exits and that it appears to be growing,” he said.
“Anything we can do must be done to stop it. It shouldn’t be necessary to have to sign a petition, but I’m afraid it is and I’d appeal to everyone who comes to The Shires to take a few moments to sign one of the forms at The Body Shop. It’s the very least we can do.”
The nationwide campaign began on Thursday and The Body Shop assistants Alexis Doyle and Holly Baggott began collecting signatures. The campaign will run at least until September.
All proceeds from the sale of The Body Shop’s Soft Hands Kind Heart Hand Cream will go to support ECPAT and all net proceeds from the sale of Bag for Life and gift bags will go to the Somaly Mam Foundation.
Purchase of these items will support the mission to raise awareness, fund prevention programs and bring immediate relief to children and young people affected by sex trafficking in our country and around the world.
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June 29th, 2010
Linda Dowsett with her new book
The first romantic novel in a trilogy written by Southwick grandmother Linda Dowsett has just been published.
The Enchanted Glade is now on sale at Waterstones in The Shires and Linda will be signing first copies on July 17.
The novel is already available on Waterstones’ website and copies can also be obtained by contacting Linda direct.
Linda, 63, of Hollis Way, is well-known in The Shires where she and her husband Gordon have been Mother Christmas and Father Christmas for many years. She had her first novel published in November and has quickly followed up with her trilogy.
The Enchanted Glade, which is set in the early 1800s, tells of Lady Cecilia Templeton and Lord Alexander Kingsley and is full of challenges and set backs, but eventually, as in all good romantic novels, love conquers all.
Linda, who has five children and 18 grandchildren, has had several jobs over the years, including owning her own business, Silhouette Fancy Dress Hire, from 1990 to 2002.
She has been part of the Southwick community for more than 30 years, baking biscuits cakes for the village fetes and sewing costumes for the Southwick Entertainers Group as well as taking part in pantomimes and summer plays.
In December, Linda appeared on BBC television quiz show The Weakest Link and although she didn’t win, she really enjoyed meeting the show’s presenter Anne Robinson.
Linda is now putting the finishing touches to The House at Green Hollow, the second in the trilogy, and the third will be Lady Annabel’s Secret which will be published in 2011.
The publishers of Linda’s first novel, Memories Are Made Of Love, was an American company but her trilogy is being published by Thumbnail Media based in Blind Lane, Southwick.
“I wanted to keep everything more local this time around and I’m delighted to support a company closer to home,” said Linda. “I’ve also used Heron Press in Westbury and I’m pleased with the result.”
The 244-page novel is available in paperback priced at £10.99 from Waterstones’ website or can be obtained direct via email from Linda on lindaandgordon@blueyonder.co.uk
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June 17th, 2010
THE SHIRES is sponsoring a group of Clarendon College pupils from Trowbridge who have set up an afternoon club – the Street Cheer Squad.
The squad, started by part-time instructor Zoe Reeves, from Hilperton, go by the name the Urban Lions, and now has 48 students, with another 10 wanting to join.
The new squad has already taken part in the Trowbridge Thrive Festival, and a schools’ festival in May with another planned on July 13.
Even more importantly the squad is taking part in the County Schools’ Cheerleaders competition in Swindon on June 29 and have been invited to the Swindon street games festival.
But they were a cheer team without any pom poms or uniforms and The Shires has come to their rescue with sponsorship.
The Shires centre manager John Grinnell said he was delighted to assist a local group with sponsorship and has agreed to help purchase pom poms to help them on their way.
The group, who give up their breaks and lunchtimes to practise, will shortly be giving a demonstration and performance in The Shires, although the date and time has not yet been decided.
Zoe, a keen dancer, who is helped by the squad’s assistant coach Thaya Glass, a 14-year-old student at Clarendon College, said the idea had just snowballed.
“Thaya has been absolutely brilliant. She is so dedicated. With a youngster showing so much enthusiasm it has helped drive me on too,” she said.
“We started with about 20 but everyone was so keen to take part that it’s grown to nearly 60. It’s open to everyone of senior school age from 11 to 16 year olds and as well as all the competitions we are now really busy going to various school and village fetes. It’s really been fantastic.”
Zoe said although they were really grateful for the backing they were receiving from The Shires the group still needs more pom poms to enable them to compete in their competitions and shows and they are still looking for more sponsors so they can kit everyone out with uniforms.
If you would like to help, please contact Zoe Reeves on dodozo@hotmail.co.uk
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June 16th, 2010
Scores of England football fans flocked to The Shires during the early days of the World Cup to take part in a competition to win a PlayStation3 from Pink Planet Games Exchange and to have their faces painted and their hair sprayed by staff from Barber Shop Trio.
Boys and girls and even a few dads dipped into their pockets for the chance to show their patriotism for the England squad in South Africa before their first game of the World Cup against the USA.
The face painting and hair spraying, at £1 a session, raised about £120 for the Help for Heroes charity.
Winner of The Shires/Pink Planet World Cup competition was 18-year-old Natti Mills, 18, who received his PlayStation3 and a 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa game from The Shire’s centre manager John Grinnell and Pink Planet store manager Chris Tadd.
The two runners-up were Lewis Stevens, aged 12, and Lee Mattravis, 18. All three come from Trowbridge.
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June 16th, 2010
The Shires celebrates its 20th birthday this year – we opened in 1990 – with a bumper programme of events.
The Shires management team has been working closely with Trowbridge Museum to hopefully make it an anniversary to remember during the summer.
We aim to display old photographs of The Shires Shopping Centre when it was under construction with details about the first shops to open, some of which are still here.
There will also be a wide variety of displays and activities to interest all the family, including competitions, especially for the children and there’ll be plenty of chances to win some mega prizes.
A full month of activities will start on Saturday, August 7 and we understand the Wiltshire Times will be producing a special ‘Shires’ Anniversary’ supplement including many photographs of our early days for readers to keep as a souvenir.
The Museum, which is housed in Home Mills – one of the last working textile mills in the town, is situated in the middle of the shopping centre and it is organising a number of special events and exhibitions.
There will be a treat for everyone to see a hand weaving loom working. The loom, which is at present in the museum, is being brought into the shopping centre and is bound to evoke memories of when The Shires was a fully operational wool mill.
Please check our Events page as the weeks progress.
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June 9th, 2010
Intermezzo takeaway food shop occupies a prime location at the Fore Street entrance from Trowbridge town centre into The Shires.
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June 9th, 2010
Internacionale is a ‘fast fashion’ women’s retailer, with150 stores throughout the UK. The acquisition of 85 stores from former chain MK One in November 2008 has strengthened the company’s position in the market and having recently completed a hugely successful project to re-brand all of these stores, this has firmly established Internacionale as one of the UK’s leading fashion high street retailers.
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