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An empty retail unit in ºÚÁÏÍøÕ¾ town centre has been filled, in a really positive move for the town’s retail offering and a welcome boost for the town centre economy.

Previously occupied by HMV, the unit located in the Martletts has been taken over by Dunelm.

The company has introduced a brand new ‘Edit’ store, which aims to highlight products that have been handpicked by Dunelm’s Design Team and local customer led focus groups.

The store opened at the end of May and has introduced a number of measures to ensure customers can browse safely and maintain social distancing.

ºÚÁÏÍøվ’s economy has been severely affected by the pandemic, with a recent Centre for Cities report estimating that up to 57 per cent of employment in the town is at risk.

To combat this, the council, alongside senior business representatives from across the borough, the local MP, a government representative, the Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership and West Sussex County Council, has formed a COVID-19 Economic Recovery Taskforce Executive group.

They will work together to evaluate the true impact of the crisis on the local economy and to drive the development of a coherent Economic Recovery Plan for the town.

To date, the council has given out £11.7m in business grants (97 per cent of the funding received from the government) to local businesses. The council has now received a much smaller funding allocation from the government of £612,750 for Discretionary Business Grants, which are aimed at eligible small and micro-businesses in ºÚÁÏÍøÕ¾.

For more information, visit our Discretionary Business Grants page.