CITY CENTRE COMPANY BRINGS CHRISTMAS CHEER TO SHOP WINDOWS

Empty shops in the city centre have been given a makeover with large scale graphics to brighten up the streets and malls.

Wolverhampton City Centre Company (WCCC) has commissioned artwork to cover up eyesore and empty buildings including the former Adams, Woolworths, Our Price and Sports World in the Mander Centre, Oasis in Dudley Street and Image in the Wulfrun Centre.

Images are a mixture of the ‘Capture the Moment’ campaign encouraging people to celebrate all the great attractions of the city centre and some festive graphics with Christmas events and activities.

WCCC has been working with Wolverhampton City Council to encourage property owners to improve shops with the help of the Empty Shops grant from the Department of Community and Local Government (DCLG).

Kim Gilmour, City Centre Manager said: “This is an excellent example of how the DCLG grant can be spent on vacant shops that cannot be accessed for other uses, for example properties in receivership that are detracting from the ambience of the city centre.”

Councillor Paddy Bradley, Chair of the Economic Partnership, said: “This is an excellent initiative that will provide a welcome boost for local enterprise. Empty shops are unsightly and can make an area look less welcoming to shoppers. But this project will certainly brighten up the area with fantastic artwork that will be enjoyed by everyone who comes to our city centre this Christmas.”

The former Eisengger and Thompson shops in the Mander Centre and BD Cycles shop in Victoria Street have also been made over, there are plans to improve the appearance of a row of vacant shops in Worcester Street and early next year it is hoped to open up three shops for community use, all utilising the DCLG grant.

“The DCLG grant of £52,000 was awarded to help alleviate the problem of eyesore properties which can cause vandalism and make an area look rundown. We continue to work with property owners on encouraging them to refurbish, tidy up, let or dress their windows, particularly in the run up to Christmas to make Wolverhampton look more attractive to visitors.” Said Kim Gilmour.