UK’s First Millstores – Cleveleys

The UK’s first ever ‘Millstores’ officially opened in Cleveleys town centre in May 2024. It’s launched a new destination retail space, creating more than 25 jobs in the community.

UK’s First Millstores – Cleveleys

Located on Nutter Road, off Victoria Road West, Cleveleys, the 13,000 square feet store occupies premises previously held by Wilko. After the high-street brand went into administration in August 2023, they quickly snapped up the 13,000 square-foot store. It’s in a brilliant spot at the heart of Cleveleys town centre.

With tradesmen working inside for several weeks, the former Wilko has undergone a £150,000 transformation. Inside is a remodelled store layout with a new bank of checkouts on the right hand side of the building. This change gives the store a more welcoming and open feel, with stock visible through the large front windows. With new signage outside the store now has a bright and fresh new look.

What does Millstores sell?

Millstores offers over 10,000 product lines, including fashion, footwear, bedding, homeware, gifts and more. Famous brands include Rieker Footwear, Apricot, Regatta, Tog24, Julian Charles, Sockshop and Yankee Candle.

It opened in mid-May for local residents, giving them the first look at the new shop. An official opening celebration followed on 30 May.

Joint owner Jonathan Addis, for Millstores, said: “We’ve had the dream to open our first ever Millstores in Cleveleys for several years now. We wanted to bring the best of our destination retail experiences to a town centre location. Cleveleys is the perfect location. The combination of high footfall with great transport links brings so much potential.

“We know people still speak fondly about Cresta, which traded on the site many years ago. And we know what a thriving town centre means to the people of Cleveleys. We hope we’ll create the kind of retail experience that everyone will love.”

Joint owner Simon Yates added, “We have met so many people since we started on-site a few weeks ago. Everyone we have met in Cleveleys has been so supportive. The buzz around town is infectious. It shows we chose the right location.

“We hope we can create the special kind of retail experience that Cleveleys deserves. It will be the perfect spot for people to pop in and find an unexpected high-quality bargain. We’ve got a fantastic selection of brands and a brilliant retail experience. We’re excited for everyone to come and see what we’ve done with the place!”

More about Millstores

Owners Simon Yates and Jon Addis already run two famous Lancashire retail outlets: Ena Mill in Atherton and The Courtyard in Tarleton. Their new Millstores concept represents the first time they have blended their successful retail destination blueprint with such a high-footfall town centre location.

Also owners of Ena Mill

Business owners Simon Yates and Jonathan Addis took ownership of Ena Mill in Atherton in January 2011, recognising the importance of preserving the fantastic Grade II Listed building. Breathing new life into it a team of builders began the conversion in April 2011.

By September 2011 the ground floor had been opened up and made suitable for retail, and opened with 30,000 sq. ft. of retail space. Expansion plans began almost immediately. The huge ground floor area is now 100% open and is one of the largest retail spaces in the country, with over 200 brands packed into 45,000 sq. ft. Today, Ena Mill welcomes over 500,000 visitors each year.

Cleveleys Community Hero Revealed at Millstores Opening Celebration

Visit Cleveleys publisher Jane Littlewood was named the ‘Millstores Cleveleys Community Hero’ in recognition of her impact on the local community. 

Millstores recognised Jane at a VIP store opening celebration in Cleveleys on Thursday 30 May 2024. Over 100 guests enjoyed food and entertainment to celebrate the opening and Jane’s accolade. And her first task in her new role was to officially open the new store!

Earlier this month, Millstores launched a public appeal to discover a Cleveleys community hero.  The campaign received over 100 submissions describing local heroes who have devoted time to a community initiative, such as a charity. 

Jane has been promoting Cleveleys for over 15 years. She’s the Cleveleys Town Centre Group Chair and represents business and the community on the Cleveleys Together board. She launched Care for Cleveleys in 2015 and is the Chair of Rossall Beach Residents and Community Group, which she launched in 2008.

Stories of Community Heroes

Simon Yates, co-owner of Millstores, said: “We’ve been blown away by the stories people shared of community heroes. Amazing. There are some wonderful nominees, and Cleveleys should be proud of each and every one of them. 

“Jane’s dedication to our community is truly inspiring. She does so much. The list of roles alone is enough to make you feel exhausted! More than that, many people really appreciate the work she does. That comes through in the nominations. She’s made Cleveleys a better place to live and visit, and we’re honoured that she’s officially opened our new store.”

The prize is a Millstores hamper, valued at over £500. It includes prizes from Apricot, Brevitt Rieker, Camille Lingerie, Candlelight, Emreco, Just Elegance, Monique, Riva Home, SockShop, The Bed Linen Store, Turner Bianca, and Wood’s Gifts. Jane’s going to donate most of it to use in fundraising for Care for Cleveleys.

Jon Addis is co-owner of Millstores. He said: “Since Millstores arrived in the town, the support from the Cleveleys community has been overwhelming. Jane embodies the spirit of this community, and it was only fitting to have her open our new store.

“Through her efforts, action groups have attracted numerous volunteers – all working together to contribute to the town’s cleanliness and beauty. Her initiatives have significantly improved the town, making it a welcoming place for both residents and visitors.”

Jane said: “It’s an honour to be recognised in this way. You only need to see how many people have turned out tonight to know what a special community this is. I’m not sure I feel like a hero. But I’m very proud of the work we’ve done together to make Cleveleys better. There’s still much to do, and our efforts to support this wonderful community will carry on.”

Millstores Site – Back in the Day

Do you remember any of the previous businesses which occupied the site of what’s now Millstores? Leave a comment below – or if you’ve got any photos please email them to jane@theRabbitPatch.co.uk

MANY THANKS to Nick Moore and his fascinating History of Blackpool for the following historical information. You can read it here

Abbot’s Coaches owned a Bus Garage at the site of 12-14 Nutter Road, originally built for and owned by Lansdowne Coaches. Abbot’s began trading in 1933 with two char-a-bancs. After building the company up they eventually had 20 vehicles and a travel agency on Albert Road in Blackpool.

Cresta first began trading in 1988 in the converted bus garage at 12-14 Nutter Road. Paul Farnsworth opened the store and later expanded into numbers 6, 8 and 10. Cresta occupied the largest volume of the L-shaped buildings across two floors, with about 60 employees. The company specialised in cut-price designer clothes and also sold Marks and Spencer and other chain-store clothes.

Sadly, Cresta closed in 2003 but their Nursery World brand continued trading for a while afterwards. It moved to what’s now the Sainsbury’s Local store at Victoria Road West, near the Tramway pub.

After a complete rebuild of the current unit on the entire Nutter Road site, Wilkinson’s (Wilko) opened in July 2004, closing in August 2023.