Distribution / REGIONAL / Feb.01

New use for former Hopgoods of Stowmarket store

Heritage furniture site to become engineering hub

The Suffolk store of heritage furniture retailer Hopgoods, which closed around a year ago, is to be given a new lease of life by the technology company Bosch.

The company wants to create 100 new engineering jobs at the Stowmarket site, and hopes to set about redeveloping the building after applying for planning permission last year.

Hopgoods was acquired by Ipswich independent Bretts around four years ago - just before the credit crunch - but the owners took the decision to close the store down a year ago.

At the time, the owners told the Furnishing Report that Stowmarket had suffered from its best retail stores leaving the town, with only charity shops, banks and supermarkets left in their stead.