What Shops Used to Be…

New stores come and old stores go, and we’ve saved some of these changes for the archive. Take a look at what shops used to be in Cleveleys… How many do you remember?

Cleveleys town centre is very lucky – for many years it’s bucked the national trend of high shop vacancy rates. When shop units are left standing empty, they’re normally filled before too long. 

Of course the COVID pandemic and the move to online shopping decimated town centres up and down the country. But even in the face of this perfect storm, Cleveleys has still got a lower than average retail vacancy rate. Which just goes to prove it’s popularity – and what a difference the help of the Care for Cleveleys volunteers makes!

What shops used to be in Cleveleys

We started this page in April 2012. There have been a number of shop changes in Cleveleys since then. Here are some of them with the newest at the top.

Two Banks become Two Bars

In late 2025, two prominent bank buildings at the corner of Cleveleys Square were gutted and transformed into two, very different, new bars.

The former HSBC bank had traded briefly as an Ex-Catalogue furniture shop after standing empty for some time. Now it’s The Greedy Banker. On the opposite corner, the former NatWest was quickly snapped up by the owner of Backstage and is now The District.

Landlord and tenants have worked exceptionally hard in both cases to transform two very prominent buildings into modern, attractive premises. Good luck to them!

When Tesco became Iceland

In August 2018 everyone in Cleveleys was aghast when Tesco announced the closure of the Metro store. At the heart of the town centre it marked a big, gaping loss to the high street. But after some months of worry, things turned out OK in the end (as they often do in Cleveleys). Iceland announced that they would take over, and the new, refitted store opened on 22 October 2019.

• Take a look inside the old Tesco store and read the full story here

A Complicated Story of Iceland and M&S!

Iceland had a presence in Cleveleys some years earlier, in the store which became M&S Simply Food. Our understanding for some years was that they’d leased the property on Victoria Road from Marks & Spencer. The story going that M&S had bought and developed land which once had a private house with a large garden. And when Iceland’s lease expired, Marks and Spencer decided they wanted to open in Cleveleys themselves and so Iceland left.

It appeared that Iceland had been waiting for the right opportunity to reopen another Cleveleys store. Thankfully they occupied the large, central former Tesco store and have traded there since 2019.

However Marks and Spencer’s is another story… It turns out that they lease the Simply Food store, with a lease due to expire in 2026. They have successfully obtained planning consent to build a brand new out-of-town store at Norcross – and close the Cleveleys shop.

• Read all about M&S relocation out of Cleveleys here

Ponden Mill to Scoota Mart

After the Ponden Mill store closed it stood empty and neglected for a few months. A discount shop briefly opened there, and now it’s occupied by Scootamart.

Cats Protection

The former Barnardo’s shop became the little Cats Protection.

While the former Argos store became the larger Cats Protection, selling a great range of furniture, bric-a-brac and household goods. The large Cats Protection closed in 2025 and took up temporary residence near to the Clock Garden at Nutter Road.

Greggs left the building…

For some years Greggs had traded (seemingly very well) in Cleveleys town centre. Sadly, their small store right in the centre of the high street finally closed the doors. The unit was stripped out – of course we popped our head through the door and asked if they knew who was going in there, but they said they didn’t know…. Later it was a Vapers’ Choice shop for some time and it’s now a nail shop.

Crest Cafe to Cherish Gifts to Trinity Bookshop

Crest Cafe had occupied the slightly set-back position near to the junction of Bispham Road for many years. After it closed, new tenants operated it as a community cafe for some time. After a local investor bought it and refurbished the neglected building, it’s now a Trinity Hospice bookshop. And it’s very popular too!

Crumbly Cheese

There’s a couple of little units, sandwiched between the the doorway of Fayez Tandoori and the N-Vision Shop, almost opposite Nutter Road. One of them was the Crumbly Cheese shop, much loved by locals and visitors alike. Several attempts were made to keep it trading but unfortunately it closed in 2015.

• Read all about the ups and downs of the Crumbly Cheese here

Boots Opticians and Holland & Barrett – share the old M&Co

Argos and the former M&Co shared the shell of a 1970’s building. Together with the small store at the right hand side, which was a Barnardo’s charity shop (now Cats Protection), these buildings are owned by the same person/company.

Trading until just after Christmas 2014 as a clearance store, the old M&Co shop seemed set to become an Iceland frozen food supermarket. A planning application was even entered onto Wyre Council’s planning portal. In the end they didn’t open a store in the former M&Co unit, but a few years later in the old Tesco.

In late 2017 the former M&Co store was split into two units. A new Boots Opticians store opened in the left half, then Holland and Barrett opened in the right side, moving from their previous store which was straight across the road.

Previously the Co-op

Valerie Wall commented on the Visit Cleveleys Facebook page “Argos and the old M&co store were originally one store for 16 years it was the Co-Op which opened in 1972.

“At first it was grocery on the ground floor and non food upstairs, reached with an escalator and stairs. When it first opened next door was the Cleveleys Hotel until years later when it was demolished to make way for the block of shops including WH Smith. Later the Co-Op Grocery closed and the store became a non food store with furniture and electrical and other departments still run by the Co-Op. It closed in Jan 1987.

“I was deputy manager at the store for all those years. The site of the narrow charity shop was originally the driveway for the Co-Op to allow deliveries to the rear, complete with turntable so that the lorries could turn around. The staff parked their cars at the rear as well.”

LOTS more photos of Old Cleveleys at this link

Victoria Market – then M&Co – now Peacocks

This plot of land has undergone quite a few changes over the decades. In the last 20 years it’s had three fundamental changes – and before that it was something else entirely!

Victoria Market

Did you enjoy shopping in Victoria Market, which became M&Co? We did here at Visit Cleveleys. Inside was a wide variety of stalls. Ladies wear and underwear. Jewellery, fruit and vegetables. Menswear and home baking.

• Take a walk down memory lane and have a good look around inside Victoria Market, here.

The ‘New’ M&Co – on site of the former Victoria Market

When the Victoria Market building closed at the very beginning of 2012, M&Co weren’t long in declaring their interest in the vacant building. They originally submitted plans to demolish the market and build a brand new store.

Instead, the existing ladies wear store (now Boots Opticians/Holland & Barrett) was improved and some changes made to accommodate men’s and children’s wear. New changing rooms were built, and the cash desk moved to the front of the store. Men’s and children’s moved in with them from their previously separate store over the road, at what was to become the Pound Plus store.

A second planning application was passed on 14 January 2014, to retain the structure of Victoria Market but replace the worn-out fabric of the building, retaining a single storey 6000sq ft retail store on Cleveleys high street. As was the market, the new shop is dual aspect, with access opposite B&M Bargains and the main doors on the high street at Victoria Road West. 

On 27 November 2014, the new M&Co finally opened its doors to the public, following the redevelopment of the former Victoria Market building. Still a single storey building, with ladies, men’s and children’s wear all on the same floor. 

…and before all that, the Savoy Cinema

Here’s an interesting look way back in time. To the Savoy Cinema which occupied the same site at Victoria Road long before the market was dreamed of.

MUCH more about the history of Cleveleys here

Cool Trader Frozen Food – former M&Co Menswear

Plans were revealed in Spring 2012 that Cool Trader, a frozen food retailer, would be moving into the men’s and children’s wear M&Co store. That was hot on the heels of the withdrawal of a planning application which would had seen half of the store converted into an amusement arcade.

Cool Trader was open for business in the middle of 2012, later becoming Heron Foods – a brand owned by the B&M name. It’s now a new Pound Plus store.

Former M&Co Men’s and Children’s store. Photo taken 2012

Poundland – former Victoria Shopping Village or ‘Green Market’

A planning application was submitted in spring 2012 for new Poundland signage at the Victoria Shopping Village.

At the time, a representative said that nothing was planned for at least six months. The application included works which would see the green glass canopy being cleaned and repainted in the dark green/teal colour of Poundland livery, with the signage on the front of the canopy. Market traders had been led to believe that any arrangements with the chain had fallen through.

Victoria Shopping Village Cleveleys, taken 22 April 2012

Uproar had broken out the previous October when the traders at this one remaining Cleveleys market were caught in a dispute with the building owner, and became unable to get into the building.

Poundland has been open since the end of 2013. Before the new green and glass retail unit was built, this was once the site of a second hand car dealers.

Don’t forget, your local shops need you to support them!