Published: 16 June 2020

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An empty retail unit in Crawley 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.

Crawley’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.

While the pandemic has hit our town hard, I have every confidence that we will come back stronger and a new retailer moving into the town centre is a positive step in the right direction. We are delighted to welcome Dunelm and its excellent new store to Crawley. The council is committed to doing whatever we can to support our local retailers and to enabling new opportunities for businesses.

Cllr Peter Smith

Cabinet Member for Economic Development

Crawley Borough Council

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 Crawley.

For more information, visit our Discretionary Business Grants page.

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