Ropewalk Shopping Centre
A two-level shopping centre in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England, built to replace the former Queens Arcade.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Ropewalk Shopping Centre is an enclosed retail centre in central Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England. It was developed as the replacement for the ageing Queens Arcade, whose declining condition, vacant units and concentration of small independent businesses had become a concern for the town centre. The project was promoted as a major redevelopment of central Nuneaton rather than as an extension of the existing arcade. The centre emerged from a redevelopment process led by Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council. An earlier proposal for a larger three-storey complex incorporating a cinema and bowling alley was rejected. The council instead supported a separate cinema and bowling development at Bermuda Park, while a revised shopping-centre scheme was submitted and approved in 2003. The final plan involved demolishing the Queens Arcade and redeveloping land occupied by the arcade and the Dugdale car parks. The resulting scheme also altered the route of Dugdale Street by dividing it around the new development. Construction took place between 2004 and 2005. A separate five-storey car park with approximately 500 spaces was built first, helping compensate for parking capacity displaced by the construction work. The main centre began trading on 1 September 2005. Its architecture is characterised by a glass roof that is not structurally connected to the main building, together with two floors of retail accommodation and a town-centre car park. Ropewalk was intended to attract recognisable high-street retailers and strengthen Nuneaton's shopping offer. One early arrival was Starbucks, which opened a unit near Marks & Spencer in June 2007. The coffee shop subsequently left the town in 2009. The centre also experienced the effects of the late-2000s recession. Woolworths and Barratts Shoes closed their units, while Blue Inc later occupied the former Barratts space. The former Woolworths unit remained vacant for a period before being redeveloped for TJ Hughes. The centre underwent a significant ownership and management change in January 2010. Broadway Capital, associated with Irish property investor and developer John McCann, was liquidated amid debts reported at up to £64 million, with the Bank of Ireland identified as the principal creditor. The bank took control of the shopping centre and appointed BTW Shields to operate it on its behalf while considering its future disposal. The centre continued trading during this period. TJ Hughes occupied the former Woolworths premises from October 2010 and created 113 jobs. Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council spent approximately £2.6 million on renovating the unit and adding lift and escalator access. TJ Hughes left that location in August 2011; the space was subsequently occupied by 99p Stores and later became a Poundland branch following the companies' merger. TJ Hughes returned to Nuneaton in October 2017, this time taking space formerly occupied by BHS within the Ropewalk. That return ended in 2020. The Ropewalk therefore functions primarily as a local and regional shopping destination, combining high-street retail units, food and beverage accommodation, a distinctive covered public environment and adjacent parking. Its history reflects the redevelopment of a traditional town-centre arcade, the impact of recession and retailer failures, and changes in the ownership and tenant mix of British shopping centres.
History
Ropewalk Shopping Centre was conceived as a replacement for Nuneaton's Queens Arcade. By the early 2000s, the arcade was considered outdated, and a number of its units were empty or occupied by small independent retailers. In 2001, Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council decided that the arcade should be replaced with a modern shopping centre. The first major design considered by the council proposed a three-storey shopping complex with a bowling alley and cinema. That proposal was not accepted. The cinema and bowling elements were subsequently directed to a separate development at Bermuda Park in Nuneaton. A revised shopping-centre scheme was submitted in 2003 and received planning consent. The approved project involved demolishing the Queens Arcade and constructing a new centre on the arcade site and the nearby Dugdale car-park land. The development also changed the street pattern by dividing Dugdale Street around the new shopping complex. Because construction displaced existing parking, a five-storey car park with approximately 500 spaces was built next to the centre before the main works. The car park is operated by Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council. Construction of the shopping centre took place from 2004 to 2005, at a reported project cost of £60 million. The centre began trading on 1 September 2005. Its physical design includes two floors of retail space, a glass roof that is not connected to the building itself and an adjacent multi-storey car park. The site is owned by Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council and is leased on a 150-year term. The early tenant strategy aimed to bring national and international brands into Nuneaton. Starbucks opened a store next to Marks & Spencer on 4 June 2007, but the branch closed in 2009. The centre was also affected by the economic downturn of 2008 and 2009. Woolworths and Barratts Shoes closed, while Blue Inc took over the Barratts unit. Woolworths' former space remained empty until a later redevelopment. A major change occurred in January 2010, when the Bank of Ireland took control of the centre following the liquidation of Broadway Capital, the previous owner. Broadway Capital was associated with Irish investor and property developer John McCann and was reported to have debts of as much as £64 million, much of it owed to the Bank of Ireland. The bank appointed BTW Shields to manage the centre and stated that it would operate the property temporarily while evaluating a sale. Trading continued during the transition. In October 2010, TJ Hughes moved into the former Woolworths unit. The retailer created 113 jobs, and the council spent approximately £2.6 million renovating the premises and installing a lift and escalators. TJ Hughes surrendered the unit in August 2011. The space was later occupied by 99p Stores and then by Poundland following the merger of the two discount retailers. TJ Hughes later returned to the town on 5 October 2017, opening in the former BHS premises inside the Ropewalk. This second tenancy ended in 2020. Through these changes, Ropewalk has remained a local covered shopping destination whose tenant mix has evolved in response to retailer expansion, insolvency, recession, mergers and shifts in consumer demand.
- 2020
TJ Hughes leaves again
[1]TJ Hughes ended its later tenancy at the Ropewalk.
- 2017
TJ Hughes returns
[1]TJ Hughes returned to the centre, taking the former BHS premises.
- 2010
Bank of Ireland assumes control
[1]The Bank of Ireland took control after the liquidation of Broadway Capital and appointed BTW Shields as manager.
- 2007
Starbucks joins the tenant mix
[1]Starbucks opened a unit near Marks & Spencer on 4 June 2007.
- 2005
Ropewalk opens
[1]The centre completed construction and began trading on 1 September 2005.
- 2004
Construction begins
[1]Construction began on the new shopping centre and associated town-centre infrastructure.
- 2003
Revised redevelopment receives planning consent
[1]A redesigned shopping-centre proposal was submitted and approved, providing for demolition of the Queens Arcade and redevelopment of the arcade and Dugdale car-park sites.
- 2001
Council decides to replace Queens Arcade
[1]Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council approved the principle of replacing the ageing Queens Arcade with a new shopping centre.
Products and positioning
Local shopping destination serving Nuneaton and the surrounding Warwickshire area, with a mix of high-street, discount, independent and food-and-beverage tenants.
Shopping-centre accommodation · 2005
Enclosed retail space
The centre provides two floors of covered retail accommodation for high-street, discount, specialist and independent businesses. Its glass-roofed interior is the defining architectural feature and creates a weather-protected town-centre shopping environment.
Parking and visitor services · 2005
Multi-storey car park
A five-storey car park with approximately 500 spaces was built alongside the centre to replace parking capacity displaced by the redevelopment. The facility is operated by Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council rather than being a retail product in its own right.
Brand decisions
2017
Support TJ Hughes's return to the centreProduct launchBackground
TJ Hughes had previously occupied the former Woolworths premises before leaving in 2011.
Action taken
The retailer returned on 5 October 2017, taking the former BHS unit within the Ropewalk.
Aftermath
The second tenancy continued until TJ Hughes left the unit in 2020.
2010
Bank of Ireland takes control of the centreM&ABackground
Broadway Capital was liquidated after experiencing substantial debts, reportedly including a large obligation to the Bank of Ireland.
Action taken
The Bank of Ireland assumed control and appointed BTW Shields to manage the property while it considered a future sale.
Aftermath
The centre remained open and trading, but its ownership and management structure changed.
Reported Broadway Capital debt. Up to £64 million (2010)
2010
Redevelop the former Woolworths unit for TJ HughesStrategyBackground
The former Woolworths premises had remained vacant after the retailer's departure.
Action taken
TJ Hughes took the unit, while the council funded refurbishment work and added lift and escalator access.
Aftermath
The opening created 113 jobs, although TJ Hughes later vacated the premises in 2011.
Council refurbishment expenditure. Approximately £2.6 million (2010)
2003
Approve the redesigned shopping-centre schemeStrategyBackground
An earlier proposal containing three floors, a cinema and a bowling alley was rejected, with those leisure uses directed to Bermuda Park.
Action taken
The council granted planning consent to a revised scheme focused on a new retail centre on the Queens Arcade and Dugdale car-park sites.
Aftermath
The approved design became the basis for the centre constructed between 2004 and 2005.
Reported development cost. £60 million (2004-2005 construction period)
2001
Replace the Queens ArcadeStrategyBackground
The existing Queens Arcade was ageing and had vacant units, prompting Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council to pursue a comprehensive town-centre redevelopment.
Action taken
The council decided to replace the arcade with a new modern shopping centre rather than continue incremental refurbishment.
Aftermath
The decision led to the Ropewalk scheme, construction from 2004 to 2005 and the centre's opening in September 2005.
Recent events
- 2020
TJ Hughes leaves its Ropewalk unit[1]
Other
TJ Hughes ended its second period of occupation at the centre in 2020.
- 2017
TJ Hughes returns to the Ropewalk[1]
Product launch
TJ Hughes returned to Nuneaton on 5 October 2017, occupying the former BHS premises within the shopping centre.
- 2011
Former Woolworths space changes discount-retail operators[1]
Other
TJ Hughes vacated the former Woolworths unit in August 2011. The premises later became associated with 99p Stores and then Poundland after the businesses merged.
- 2010
Bank of Ireland takes control of the centre[1]
M&A · Leadership change
After Broadway Capital was liquidated, the Bank of Ireland assumed control of the shopping centre and appointed BTW Shields to manage it while the bank considered a future sale.
- 2010
TJ Hughes opens in the former Woolworths unit[1]
Product launch
TJ Hughes took over the former Woolworths premises in October 2010, creating 113 jobs after a council-backed refurbishment of the unit.
- 2009
Recession leads to retailer closures[1]
Other
The late-2000s recession contributed to the closure of Woolworths and Barratts Shoes units, while Starbucks also left Nuneaton during this period.
- 2007
Starbucks opens at Ropewalk[1]
Product launch
Starbucks opened a coffeehouse near Marks & Spencer on 4 June 2007, adding an international food-and-beverage operator to the centre's tenant mix.
- 2005
Ropewalk Shopping Centre begins trading after redevelopment[1]
Other
The newly constructed centre opened to the public on 1 September 2005, replacing the former Queens Arcade as Nuneaton's principal covered shopping development.
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