Schofields (department store)

The store was founded by Snowden Schofield on Saturday 4 May 1901 in a single unit as a "fancy drapers and milliners" with a staff of two then expanded in the following years into other units. The premises were originally a mixture of Victorian era buildings which included a shopping arcade, called the Victoria Arcade, running through the store. The Leeds store was rebuilt in 1962 in a modernist style typical of the era. In September 1984 the business was sold to Clayform Properties Ltd who had intended to redevelop the site but planning permission was not granted. ==The Schofield Centre==

The new Schofields Centre opened with many other retailers renting retail units. These included the thriving chain HMV and department store Marks & Spencer. The Marks & Spencer later closed this outlet due to the expansion of their premises on nearby Briggate, and HMV moved into the vacant M&S unit in around 1996. The former Schofields premises which had become the Schofields Centre subsequently became known as The Headrow Centre. This centre had been occupied by the Lillywhites sportswear retailer between 1996 and 2001; and was later occupied by several chain stores including Sports Direct, New Look and HMV. The Headrow Centre management had let most of the tenancy agreements run out in order to redevelop the premises in the hope of attracting more businesses. The decision to let tenancy agreements expire, whilst only giving the shops 28 days notice of the closure in most cases, had caused negative media comments to be directed towards the centre. Many of the stores that have been in the centre for up to 15 years have been forced to close down, and the staff are being given very little time to find new jobs. It was also seen as the centre was 'killing' off the small businesses in order to attract more chain stores. The renovations were estimated to take 18 months to complete, and 10 stores remained open while the work was going on. The new centre has been finished in late 2009 and traded as The Core due to its place in the core of the city centre. The Core was now home to new stores including a combined Bank and JD Sports store, a Cotswold store and a USC sports shop. A new food court seating 500 people was intended to be located above New Look. The design features include the extensive use of glass. The developer, the Propinvest Group, has described the Leeds development as its flagship centre. As of March 2024, planning permission has been granted for the demolition of The Core; and its redevelopment as three separate blocks of ground floor retail with six floors of student accommodation above and new roads or pedestrian areas will be created between the blocks. Before its demolition, OneBeyond opened in the former HMV unit. During demolition, Footasylum closed its doors permanently. ==References==