Future of Eastbourne town centre shop explained

A company has confirmed what is happening to the Steamer Trading shop in Eastbourne town centre.
Closing down signs in the window of Steamer Trading in Cornfield Road, EastbourneClosing down signs in the window of Steamer Trading in Cornfield Road, Eastbourne
Closing down signs in the window of Steamer Trading in Cornfield Road, Eastbourne

It was announced last week a number of Steamer Trading stores across the country will be closing after the brand was bought out of adminstration by ProCook.

Despite not being on the list of closures, the cookware shop in Cornfield Road has put up “closing down” signs and put its stock on sale.

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But a spokesperson has confirmed the store’s closure will be temporary as it undergoes a rebrand to reopen later this year as a ProCook store.

They said the jobs of locally employed staff are secure and the shop is expected to be closing at some stage in July.

ProCook owner Daniel O’Neill said, “After almost six months of trying to get the Steamer Trading model to work and a significant amount of investment we have we have been forced draw the brand to a close.

“We have concluded our best route to success is to utilise the most profitable sites in expansion plans for ProCook. This will enable ProCook to maintain a high street presence and will save jobs that would otherwise be lost.

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“We’ll be moving 13 stores to trade as ProCook but sadly will be closing the remaining 8 stores and head office, resulting in some redundancies.”

CEO Stephen Sanders said, “Given the current economic pressures faced by retailers on the high street we cannot afford to rest on our laurels, and the difficult decision we’ve come to will enable us to protect the rest of our portfolio.

“We are pleased that by transferring 13 stores to the ProCook brand we’ll be able to preserve a significant number of jobs and will be offering full support to those whose roles are affected.”

Steamer Trading, which had 21 stores across the UK, was acquired by ProCook in January 2019 saving it from administration, following a period of “challenging” trade.

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