Reeves say burnt out store will not be re-built

Reeves Corner, Croydon pic: wendylady

Following the devastating fire in Croydon during the riots, The House of Reeves furniture store will not be rebuilt on the derelict land where it once stood.

The family had planned to rebuild on the land but Chairman Maurice Reeves said it would not be viable to rebuild on their portion of land that is also jointly owned by the Whitgift Foundation.

The Whitgift Foundation have accepted an early surrender on their lease.

Reeves said: “Following a review of our position we are unable to commit to reoccupy the Whitgift Foundation part of the island site.”

The Reeves family always had two shops, one that was burnt to the ground and the other badly damaged. The total site was over 1300 square feet.

One store has been refurbished and is now thriving. Maurice Reeves said that he would like to thank all the people of Croydon who came out to support him and his family.

He also praised his staff saying that their hard work had saved the business and that he hoped that they could carry on serving the people of Croydon as they have been doing for over the last 145 years.

His son, Trevor Reeves, told EastLondonLines  the damage had actually started a resurgence in the area.  Reeves Corner is in the Old Town in which a multi-million pound regeneration project is now underway.

Croydon is also one of 12 towns in the country that have been picked by the Government for money to rejuvenate high streets in a scheme devised by the retail expert Mary Portas. Mr. Reeves said he had to put all emotion away and look at things in a clear and sensible light. “The family is now  working together, with other business, in the interest of all in the borough.”

Gordon Thompson was jailed for 11 years in April for setting fire to the store. The fire also caused millions of pounds worth of damage to surrounding buildings.

http://www.houseofreeves.com/about-us/i2

http://www.itv.com/news/london/story/2012-05-26/croydon-picked-as-portas-pilot/

 

 

One Response

  1. Carole Heath March 11, 2014

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