After reporting on a series of shop closures on Coney Street, it seems like some good news is finally in the offing.
A retailer is planning to move into the former Currys store on the famous shopping street.
We broke the story just over a year ago that the retailer of cameras and electronic goods was quitting the city centre.
Now the old Currys looks set to become the home to toy store The Entertainer.
Plans have been submitted to City of York Council asking permission to refit the unit with the chain’s bright blue and white branding.
‘Best-loved toy shop’
It has been marketed with an annual rent of £225K a year and a rateable value of £207K.
According to the visuals, the rebranded shop will have The Entertainer’s jack-in-the-box logo on the fascia, as well as a projection sign with the words ‘The Toy Shop’.
The Entertainer was founded in 1981 by husband and wife team Gary and Catherine Grant. It has more than 140 stores in the UK and six international stores.
It describes its mission as “to be the best-loved toy shop – one child, one community at a time”.
The chain sells everything from dolls and action figures to art sets and electronic games. Traditional toys like water pistols and jigsaws are sold alongside slime, robots and remote control cars.
Bucking the trend
Several stores have gone. After 137 years trading, Burgins Perfumery closed last July.
As well as Currys other major retail chains have quit the street, including River Island, Swarovski and BHS. Poundland started its closing down sale this month.
But it is not just the city centre that has been hit by the retail quake.
It was revealed in March that five stores were leaving the out of town Monks Cross Shopping Park.
A taskforce, featuring representatives from York Retail Forum, City of York Council, Make it York and York BID, is working on bringing more stores to the city centre.
The interest shown by The Entertainer must be seen as a positive sign for Coney Street and York’s retail heart.