#castlequays — Public Fediverse posts

SWANSEA: Scandinavian homeware brand to open city centre store in former Zara unit on Princess Way

A large vacant unit in the heart of Swansea city centre is set to come back to life, with a Danish homeware and lifestyle brand confirmed as the new occupant of the former Zara store on Princess Way.

Søstrene Grene — pronounced “Sœstre-ne Greh-ne” and meaning “the Grene sisters” in Danish — already has a Welsh presence through its Cardiff store, which opened in 2024. The Swansea opening will be its second store in Wales, and an official opening date is expected to be confirmed shortly.

The brand is known for a distinctive Scandinavian aesthetic, selling a mix of design-led homewares, craft and hobby supplies, kitchenware, candles, stationery and seasonal decorations — typically at accessible price points. At the heart of its identity is the Danish concept of “hygge” — a word that roughly translates as a feeling of warmth, comfort and togetherness.

Søstrene Grene CEO and co-owner, Mikkel Grene
(Image: Søstrene Grene)

Mikkel Grene, Group CEO and co-owner of Søstrene Grene, said the Swansea opening marked an important moment for the brand’s UK expansion. “Designed to be a welcoming and inspiring space, the Swansea store will invite customers to immerse themselves in the essence of Scandinavian living,” he said. “Visitors will also be introduced to the Danish concept of ‘hygge’, a feeling of comfort, warmth and togetherness that sits at the heart of the brand.”

The Princess Way unit has been empty since Zara vacated at the end of 2024 following the expiry of its lease. The building — known as Castle Quays — was acquired by St Mary’s Square Developments, a Swansea-based property company, at the start of 2025. Work has already been under way inside the former Zara unit to prepare it for a new tenant, and scaffolding on the building has been coming down in recent months as the refurbishment progresses.

Peter Loosmore, director of St Mary’s Square Developments, said: “When we were made aware of the interest from Søstrene Grene we felt they would be a fantastic fit for the development and would bring their quality retail offering to Swansea city centre. We are excited to see them opening soon alongside our existing tenants.”

The former Zara store at Castle Quays on Princess Way is being prepared for a new tenant
(Image: St Mary’s Square Developments)

The Castle Quays building sits at one of the busiest points in the city centre, with aspects over both Princess Way and Castle Square. It is directly opposite the council’s new Y Storfa hub — the one-stop shop for public services that opened in the former BHS store — and looks out over Castle Square, which is currently undergoing a major multimillion-pound revamp to create a greener and more welcoming public space.

County managers Norma Jacob and Richard Power, who operate Søstrene Grene stores across Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland, also welcomed the news. Ms Jacob said the opening marked “an exciting new chapter” for the brand in Wales, adding: “We are delighted to bring our affordable, thoughtfully curated homewares to this vibrant and dynamic city.”

Mr Power said Princess Way was “a prime city centre destination” and that the team looked forward to welcoming customers to experience the brand’s “unique Scandinavian atmosphere.”

Inside Søstrene Grene’s Cardiff store
(Image: Søstrene Grene)

The arrival of Søstrene Grene is a rare piece of good news for Swansea’s city centre retail scene at a difficult time. The nearby Marks & Spencer store on Oxford Street is due to close later this year, prompting criticism from local politicians and shoppers who fear the loss of one of the high street’s last remaining anchor tenants. The M&S closure sparked calls for action on both sides of the political debate, with Swansea’s MP Torsten Bell demanding staff support and a replacement store for the city.

As Swansea Bay News has previously reported on the future of retail in the city, the question of what kind of brands and businesses can genuinely make the city centre thrive again is one of the biggest conversations Swansea is having with itself right now — and opinions differ sharply.

Against that backdrop, the Søstrene Grene announcement adds to a run of positive retail news in recent months. Greggs, Skechers and Boyes have all opened in the city, alongside Holland & Barrett’s new flagship in the Quadrant and Rituals opening nearby. The former Debenhams building is also being transformed as part of a major revamp of that part of the city centre.

The Castle Quays building itself is at the centre of wider change beyond just its ground floor retail units. St Mary’s Square Developments has submitted a planning application to add ten new flats to the upper floor of the building, as part of the broader push to bring more residents back into the heart of the city — a long-standing goal for planners and business groups who argue that a growing city centre population is essential to making the retail and hospitality offer sustainable.

It is a vision that has been gaining momentum. Across the immediate area, new residential conversions are taking shape, Castle Square is being transformed, and the Y Storfa hub is drawing people into the city centre who might previously have had little reason to visit. Søstrene Grene’s arrival on Princess Way adds another piece to that picture.

Søstrene Grene’s opening date on Princess Way is yet to be confirmed. More information about the brand is available at sostrenegrene.com.

Related stories from Swansea Bay News

Ten new flats planned for top of Princess Way building overlooking Castle Square
St Mary’s Square Developments — the same company bringing Søstrene Grene to Swansea — has applied to add ten apartments to the upper floor of the Castle Quays building.

M&S to close its 69-year-old Swansea store in huge shock to the council
The nearby Marks & Spencer on Oxford Street is set to shut later this year, dealing a significant blow to the city centre’s retail offer.

Swansea’s new Y Storfa hub draws praise as visitors embrace city centre one-stop shop
The council’s new public services hub in the former BHS store sits directly opposite the new Søstrene Grene site.

The future of retail in Swansea: the shops you want, the brands we asked, and what comes next
Our in-depth look at the big questions facing Swansea’s city centre — and what readers said they wanted to see.

Artist helps celebrate green future of Castle Square as major revamp gets underway
The square directly outside the new store is undergoing a major transformation to make it greener and more welcoming.

#Business #CastleQuays #featured #PrincessWay #retail #SøstreneGrene #StMarySSquareDevelopments #Swansea #SwanseaCityCentre #Zara

CITY CENTRE LIVING: Ten new flats planned for top of Princess Way building overlooking Castle Square

Plans have been submitted to create ten new flats on the top floor of a well-known Princess Way commercial building, in the latest sign that Swansea’s city centre is slowly being transformed into somewhere people can live as well as shop.

The application, submitted to Swansea Council by St Mary’s Square Developments, proposes ten one- and two-bedroom apartments on the recessed upper floor of the Castle Quays building — the prominent seven-unit commercial block that stretches along Princess Way with aspects over both Castle Square and the council’s new Y Storfa hub in the former BHS store.

The Castle Quays development on the site of the former David Evans Department store
(Image: St Mary’s Square Developments)

Each of the proposed flats would have access to outdoor patio space. According to the design and access statement submitted with the application, no changes are proposed to the height, footprint or principal exterior elevations of the building. Cycle storage and bin storage would be provided at ground floor level, and supporting reports on noise, bats and green infrastructure have also been submitted as part of the planning package.

St Mary’s Square Developments, a Swansea-based company specialising in mixed-use and build-to-rent schemes, acquired the Castle Quays building in 2025. Work is already under way on the ground floor, where contractors are preparing the former Zara unit for a new occupier.

The former Zara store at Castle Quays on Princess Way is being prepared for a new tenant
(Image: St Mary’s Square Developments)

The Castle Quays application adds to a cluster of residential conversion schemes taking shape in the same part of the city centre.

The Welsh Government has committed millions of pounds in funding towards 29 one- and two-bedroom flats planned for the upper floors of the nearby building currently occupied at ground level by McDonald’s and Taco Bell — a scheme that has already secured planning permission.

Across the road, the old Castle Cinema building is already being converted into 30 flats alongside new commercial units.

Elsewhere in the immediate vicinity, flats have been created in upper floors on Oxford Street, and a major ‘biophilic living building‘ mixed-use development of up to 12 storeys is rising on the former Woolworths site on The Kingsway.

The Princess Way building sits at the heart of some of the most significant change currently under way in the city centre.

On one side it looks over Castle Square, which is in the middle of a multimillion-pound revamp designed to create a greener and more welcoming public space.

The leaf boat sculpture that was a fixture of the square for years was removed as that redevelopment moved ahead, with an artist commissioned to help mark the start of the transformation.

On its other aspect, Castle Quays faces the new Y Storfa building in the former BHS unit — a council-run hub housing a range of public services including the city’s central library.

The drive to bring residents back into Swansea city centre has been a consistent theme for local leaders for decades. The post-war bombing of Swansea and the subsequent rebuilding of the city on largely commercial lines left the centre without a significant residential population — something planners and business groups have long argued needs to change.

The potential loss of further anchor retailers has added urgency to that argument. Marks & Spencer’s Oxford Street store is due to close later this year, following the earlier departure of Debenhams — both significant blows for a high street that is already navigating a fundamental shift away from traditional retail.

Against that backdrop, the case for converting underused upper floors into homes has become harder to argue against.

Andrew Douglas, manager of business group Swansea BID, said a growing residential population was central to the city centre’s long-term health.

“The more people living in the city centre the more they will engage with and enjoy Swansea’s retail, hospitality, and leisure sectors,” he said. He added that residential growth also bolsters investor confidence, describing it as a signal that the city centre is a credible place to live, work and spend time.

As we’ve reported, the question of what shops and brands Swansea needs to attract — and what the future of its retail offer looks like — remains one of the biggest conversations in the city. Increasing the number of people living within walking distance of the shops, bars and restaurants is seen as a key part of making that offer sustainable.

The Castle Quays application is currently with Swansea Council for determination.

Related stories from Swansea Bay News

Scaffolding removal to start at Princess Way
The Castle Quays building on Princess Way has been undergoing work since St Mary’s Square Developments took it on in 2025.

FLATS FUNDING BOOST: Welsh Government to pour millions into city centre flats plan at McDonald’s site and Kingsway block
The neighbouring Princess Way conversion scheme has already secured Welsh Government backing — part of the same city centre living push.

New images reveal greener, more vibrant future for Swansea’s Castle Square
The square overlooked by the Castle Quays building is undergoing its own major transformation.

Leaf Boat sculpture removed from Castle Square as major redevelopment moves ahead
A landmark moment in the Castle Square revamp as the familiar sculpture made way for the new-look public space.

Artist helps celebrate green future of Castle Square as major revamp gets underway
The story of the transformation of the square beside the Castle Quays building.

The future of retail in Swansea: The shops you want, the brands we asked, and what comes next
The bigger picture on Swansea’s changing city centre — and why more residents could be the answer.

#AndrewDouglas #CastleQuays #construction #newApartments #PlanningPermission #PrincessWay #StMarySSquareDevelopments #Swansea #SwanseaBID #SwanseaCityCentre