Efforts underway to find new tenant for key Strabane premises

FOLLOWING last week’s announcement that Houseproud in Strabane is to close, local people have been speculating about what could be next for one of the town’s most recognisable buildings.

Originally home to Strabane stalwart Linton and Robinson’s, which closed back in 2005, the 34,000-square-foot building was brought back to life seven years ago when House Proud opened its doors.

Last week, however, it was confirmed that the furniture store’s ‘end of lease’ closing down would go ahead.

It was also announced that the adjoining café, The Cherry Tree, would remain in the location.

Since then, the town has been rife with speculation.

When the story was first covered in the Strabane Chronicle and later shared on our WeAreTyrone website, over 160 comments flooded the social media pages, with residents from across Strabane and the wider area suggesting a range of ideas for the large retail site.

Emma McConnell said: “Primark would be great in there, and Iceland should relocate to the old Lidl location for better parking.”

Lauren Henderson added: “Ahh would be a great wee Dunnes Stores.”

Josephine Rao speculated: “Perfect for Primark; even bring back all the shops that were moved out for the new Lidl store – so many big spaces lying empty. We can’t have another one.”

While the community has been sharing its wish list, Emma Gallagher, Town Centre Development manager with Strabane BID, said it would be ‘wrong’ to speculate on specific stores at this stage, though confirmed efforts are underway to attract a major retailer.

“Although it would be wrong to speculate on a particular business entering the building as talks with retailers have not begun yet, I can say that the building is an ideal fit for a large retailer, and we will be working hard to attract one,” she said.

“With the large amount of investment coming into the town through the City Deal and the Public Realms scheme, I can only imagine that Strabane is only becoming more attractive to retailers who would like to come and set up shop in the town, which promises to become even more thriving than it already is.”