Quest is on to find new occupant for Fleetwood’s biggest shop as ex-M&S premises lies empty again

It was once Fleetwood’s cherished M&S store and then during a dark period became its biggest eyesore, before making a welcome comeback.

The property in question is no 68-74 Lord Street in Fleetwood, a spacious shop building which has told a telling take about the town centre’s fluctuating fortunes.

Until recently it was occupied by  Ex-Catalogue Discount Outlet , which took over the building in 2022 following a long period of it lying empty and forlorn.

Now the building is empty again and its owners are looking for someone to let it or buy it outright.

The building holds such a prominent position on Lord Street that it makes a difference if it is occupied.

It is owned by a North West-based charitable trust which is keen to ensure the building is used.

A source connected to the charity said: “Fleetwood has a lot of potential and new businesses are opening in the town centre all the time.

“Lord Street is directly on the tram route from Blackpool and this building has a lot to offer – a spacious ground floor as a shop, with the potential for flats upstairs.”

Back in the day it was indeed the town’s M&S store, the most prestigious shop on the high street.

In its prime in the 1950s, 60s and 70s , Fleetwood town centre was bustling and full of fine, individual shops, buoyed by the town’s thriving fishing industry which provided plenty of jobs and spending money.

But then came the crash of the fishing industry – after long distance trawlers were banned from traditional Icelandic fishing grounds after the final Cod war of 1979.

The collapse hit this proud town hard.

And the high street felt it too – especially when M&S pulled out of the town in the mid 1980s. Many locals said Lord Street has never fully recovered.

Over the year plenty of other businesses have taken over the shop – including Hitchens and Store Twenty One.

But after Store Twenty One closed in 2016, a long spell of emptiness began. The building declined and became the subject of comment at Fleetwood Town Council and Wyre Council.

At its lowest point, a cannabis farm was discovered on the top floor after intruders got in, and a loose window fell out and smashed to the ground, luckily at a time when no one was walking on the pavement below.

There were almost celebrations in the town when  Ex-Catalogue Discount Outlet moved in and the premises were being used for retail once more, after the owners renovated it.

However, the discount shop closed this year and is no longer operating there, although it still holds the lease.

The owners say if can be easily transferred to a new leasee or buyer.

With so much potential, it is hoped that a new business can soon come in and begin a new chapter.