More than 40 apply for free unit in Eastbourne’s The Beacon

Grow at the Beacon will see one business owner or entrepreneurs win a free space at The Beacon for 12 months.

The 45 successful applicants will enter the next stage at the end of this month following the closure of the application process.

Opened in January, ‘Grow at The Beacon’ proved to be hugely popular with the local community and attracted 45 applicants from like-minded business professionals looking to get their ventures set up. destination.

A creative soft play experience for kids, a florist café concept, a natural stone jewellery store, an art gallery and even a dance studio are among the business proposals to have been put forward for the initiative over the last four weeks.

That number will be trimmed by the end of February, with lucky applicants then getting the opportunity to present their business to a panel, comprising Bill Plumridge, centre manager at The Beacon, Andrew Rice, fund manager at Legal & General – owner of the shopping centre and the Eastbourne Herald’s chief reporter Annemarie Field at an informal ‘meet and greet’ during a 30-minute slot.

Over the last 30 months, The Beacon has undergone a huge £85 million refurbishment project to provide what L&G describes as a more stylish and modern shopping environment for the local community. The renovation was completed in July 2019 and created 33 new shopping spaces, mixed between retail, food and leisure.

Speaking about the quality of applicants, centre manager Bill Plumridge said, “The response we have had to our ‘Grow at The Beacon’ initiative has been phenomenal. We have had a number of high-quality applications come through to us over the last few weeks.

“Myself and the fund manager from Legal & General will be working through those concepts carefully and will select different businesses that we feel will bring something fresh, new and exciting to The Beacon and the local community. We’re looking forward to meeting all of those candidates in person and making a decision about which ones we will be adding to our exciting portfolio at the centre.”

“The initiative provides the perfect location for local, independent businesses or just those with a great idea to rub shoulders with some of the biggest names in retail and leisure; including Next, Boots, Greggs, H&M, JD Sports, M&S, McDonalds, Nando’s and Cineworld.”