New chapter for Sheffield department store as it prepares to move after 50 years at same site

Cristian Sinclair, of Sinclair's on Glossop Road, said his staff were ‘constantly inundated’ with drunks and drug addicts outside the store and along West Street.

The Glossop Road store will close its doors on February 28 before Sinclair’s reopens on Ecclesall Road around a month later.

Mr Sinclair, managing director, said: “We have been here since 1967. We started off with a large shop and then extended and then rebuilt the building in 2004.

“We made it more contemporary but the problem for anybody in this area is there is no retail left. It’s all 24-hour off licences, bars and restaurants.”

Mr Sinclair, who previously voiced complaints about the number of alcoholics and drug addicts outside his store, said a lack of parking had also contributed to a fall in trade.

He said: "It's not easily accessible - there is no parking and unfortunately, like many city centres now, we are constantly inundated with drunks and people who are high on whatever they are high on.

“It’s not really an environment for a retail store. In truth, we have been here far longer than we should have been but we hope things will get better and we hope we will get some like-minded people joining us but we have made the decision."

Mr Sinclair said he hoped the new store would be more accessible for customers and lead to new trade, due to its location.

He added the Sinclair’s unit on Glossop Road will be taken on by a ‘restaurant operator’.

Mr Sinclair added: “The unfortunate thing for us is that a lot of our customers are no longer with us. Having been here for such a long time, we have noticed that a lot of people have stopped coming.

“In our kind of retail, you build up relationships with your customers and you know them and in many ways it's a sad thing that’s gone. We thank everyone who has support us.”

Mr Sinclair said most of the store's stock would transfer down to the Ecclesall Road store, which he labelled as an ‘opportunity’ for the firm.

He said: “It’s a new opportunity and we hope we will get different customers because they don't come to this part of town.

“We are looking forward to welcoming some new customers as well as our existing ones.”