Carpet firm sees a Gap in the market at popular retail park

Changes are happening at a popular retail park on the edge of Preston.

Where is it?

The Capitol Centre at Walton le Dale has a mixture of leisure and retail outlets. It has free parking, and a variety of businesses and eateries, ranging from Vue Cinema to Next and Waitrose.

Who is coming onto the site?

Tapi Carpets is set to take over a major unit, which is in the section close to Home Sense and Next. It will be its first store in the Preston area - its other North West stores can be found at Warrington, Wallasey and Chester. The firm says: “Tapi Carpets and Floors was launched in the North West in May 2015 with a view to bringing the UK a better experience when searching for and buying a new carpet, vinyl, laminate or luxury vinyl tile flooring.”

Who was there previously?

The unit was previously occupied by clothes retailer Gap. The firm, which sold both adult and baby clothing moved out in August amid reports that the lease had expired.

Is there an opening date?

A spokesman for Tapi said late November or early December had been pencilled in - but they will certainly want to be open in time for Christmas.

What else has been happening on site?

There have been major improvements, especially y to the Vue Cinema. Opened in 1991, the cinema was described last year by its owners, Royal London, as dated and typical of multiplexes built 25 years ago. Nowadays it is a state of the art modern cinema, and boasts reclining seats.throughout.