First look inside Dundee's new Clarks shoe shop
The historic British brand has taken a unit at the Overgate Shopping Centre in Dundee.
The upper level space – beside Toytown and opposite Starbucks – was previously occupied by Burger King.
The shop displays a range of shoes for men, women and children with a professional measuring service available on appointment.
The Courier previously revealed that Clarks would be returning to the city in December. Since then work has taken place to fit out the shop and managers and staff have been recruited.
The new shop follows Clarks' shock departure from Dundee in the summer of 2023. Clarks had been in the Murraygate since 1989.
At the time the firm said the closure was due to its lease expiring and it had no plans to relocate elsewhere.
Its return to Dundee follows the news that Hotel Chocolat will be moving into the Overgate later this year.
Overgate manager Malcolm Angus said: 'There has been much interest and excitement about the arrival of this iconic British heritage brand to the centre, with the striking new store showcasing Clarks' highly desirable collections.
'Fans of Clarks can expect the best in design and craftsmanship, along with a number of personalised shopping experiences by expertly trained staff.
'This includes a quiet space for kids and special quiet evenings, as well as fittings outside normal hours for those with special needs.
'We very much look forward to welcoming everyone to this fantastic new retail destination and are confident the new store will prove popular with our customers.'
Clarks' story can be traced to 1825 when Cyrus and James Clark made a slipper from sheepskin offcuts.
It has retained its ethos of innovation and craftsmanship throughout its long history.
Joe Ulloa, general manager for Clarks in the UK & Ireland, was in Dundee to open the new shop.
He said: 'Clarks came to the end of its lease on the Murraygate shop which wasn't driving the footfall.
'We are delighted to be opening a new store in Dundee with our franchise partner.
'We always wanted to come back to Dundee – it was trying to find the right unit. We have a requirement for a big stock room in the back.
'Overgate is a thriving shopping centre with many great brands. The shop fit-out started four weeks ago.
'Clarks is looking forward to joining that community and serving our customers in the city.'
The new Frasers department store will open at the Overgate in June. It will also contain Sports Direct and USC which are both currently holding closing down sales in their current Overgate units.
Meanwhile, Superdrug will expand its current shop into the neighbouring Clintons unit on the ground floor of the centre.
Mango is expected to open in the centre in early May.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
5 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Huge percentage of BBC staff in top-paying jobs that were privately educated revealed
News will increase claims of elitism at the broadcaster BEEB PAY ROW Huge percentage of BBC staff in top-paying jobs that were privately educated revealed Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE percentage of privately educated BBC staff is four times higher in top-paying jobs than in the lowest salary bracket, its own figures reveal. The news will increase claims of elitism at the broadcaster. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up Only seven per cent of Brits have a private education, but 32 per cent of BBC roles with a salary of £150,000 or more are occupied by those who do. And just 6.8 per cent of jobs there with pay of under £30,000 are taken by the privately educated. Social mobility expert Prof Lee Elliot Major said: 'The BBC's disproportionate representation of privately educated individuals in its highest-paying roles starkly illustrates the persistent class barriers in British society. 'The BBC was founded to serve the whole nation — yet we have a public institution that looks and sounds out of step with the lives of the people it is intended to serve and represent. 'It isn't healthy when the most powerful roles come from the same small slice of society. "It means news organisations are fishing in a narrow talent pool, missing out on the perspectives of people from different backgrounds.' The BBC said: 'We're doing more than ever to bring people to the BBC from all backgrounds.' In 2023, an Ofcom report said low-income audiences found the Beeb too 'politically correct'. Breakfast legend returns to BBC daytime for the first time four years after quitting sofa
Wales Online
7 hours ago
- Wales Online
Couple paid £36,600 for a caravan and regretted it after what happened
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info A working couple are embroiled in a dispute with a holiday park company, alleging they are "stuck" and are unable to sell their £36,600 static caravan. Alicia Mearns and partner John Hayden claim to have been told it's now "basically not worth anything" because they fitted a new kitchen. In response, Park Lane Holiday Homes, operators of the site in Meols, Wirral, contested their claims. A spokesperson for the company stated: "The couple have not engaged in any communications with the company regarding selling the caravan." Alicia, 41, and John, 48, were originally looking to purchase a property in Spain. But Alicia, owner of Allure beauty salon in Birkenhead, and John, who runs J and J Joinery, decided a holiday park offered a better solution for a second home as it was closer to their places of work, provided they could access it throughout the year. In early 2023 they spoke to a sales representative from Park Lane Holiday Homes in Meols. Although aiming for a £25,000 budget, they asserted they were told the only available caravan near this price was £36,600. Moreover, the Merseyside couple claimed they were urged to commit instantly with a £500 deposit because another buyer was purportedly interested in the caravan. Alicia recounted: "We felt rushed. But the caravan seemed to be what we wanted, so we took the plunge," reports the Liverpool Echo. John mentioned: "The rest of the money we had to pull together from bank loans and part-exchanging our 2013 touring caravan, pending the sale of our former property." Alicia noted: "We were not given a contract. Not then and not later. All we ever received was a piece of paper in the office to confirm the sale." Sign up now for the latest news on the North Wales Live Whatsapp community (Image: European Consumer Claims) They allege the site fees amounted to £4,600 annually, which they had to pay in advance, plus an additional charge of £300 a few weeks later. Alicia said the couple spend much of the year at the site, claiming that flooding issues began on October 20, 2023. She described the problem. "Whenever there are heavy rains, our pitch floods, which is often, due to the British weather," she said. "The water depth can be such that we find it extremely difficult to get in and out of the caravan. I am a mum with two kids and the youngest is seven." John elaborated: "They told us a new water pump was installed to keep water levels down in future. But the flooding is actually worse now. It has flooded badly - a total of seven times since we moved in." The couple claimed they inquired about relocating their caravan to a higher position to dodge future floods and were told they could do so for a fee of £1,400. They arranged this while on a trip to Spain as part of efforts to move abroad. Alicia recalled: "(The owner) told us outright that they would not be moving our caravan. He told us that the only way to move to a more flood-proof location was to upgrade to one in a more preferable location." They were further disheartened when informed by a site manager that their caravan had become valueless due to a new kitchen fitted by John, a professional joiner, at a cost of £10,000. Alicia explained her frustration, saying: "Apparently this had devalued the caravan", adding: "Plus the fact it was 20 years old (we had no idea about its age until this point) rendered it worthless." Exasperated, she asserted: "We are probably biased, but we feel that the caravan looks objectively better after John's lovingly installed kitchen replacement." John claimed they were given figures for an upgrade, with the lowest being around £75,000; a sum beyond what they were prepared to invest, compelling them to contemplate selling the caravan on their own. A spokesperson from Park Lane Holiday Homes rejected their narrative, stating: "The couple have not engaged in any communications with the company regarding selling the caravan and therefore their comments are wholly refuted." In response, Alicia said she had spoken with a manager about selling the caravan, saying: "Two friends expressed an interest in buying our caravan. He (the salesperson) told us that 'because of the caravan's age', the park would have to put the ground rent up from £4,600 to £10,500 for the new owners. Understandably our friends did not want to go through with the purchase after learning this." Alicia and John looked into relocating the caravan but found its age was a barrier, as no other site would accept it. Alicia commented: "This information is something they absolutely should have disclosed to us before we paid out £36,600. We never would have paid so much money for a caravan if we had known the limitations caused by its age. Not telling us this was a serious failure on their part in our opinion." She continued: "We are now stuck living on a pitch that continues to flood, resulting in our electricity tripping out as our washing machine and dryer are located outside. The tumble dryer is now ruined due to water damage." The couple feel trapped, Alicia explained: "Currently we are in limbo. The park keeps sending us a new lease to sign, and we daren't sign it because it states a caravan age limit of ten years. "We have paid two years' site fees for a pitch that is unliveable, not fit for purpose and a danger." Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox Park Lane Holiday Homes acknowledged the issue, with a spokesperson stating: "We can confirm that over the past two years the park has, on occasion, experienced flash floods. "However, we would like to emphasise that such events are not unique to the park itself. They are consistent with weather patterns affecting the wider local area of the Wirral and are reflective of the environmental conditions experienced across the region, where flooding commonly occurs. "We wish to reassure all guests that we remain fully committed to ensuring that the holiday park continues to be managed safely and responsibly. All necessary measures have been taken to protect visitors and maintain the high standards our guests expect. "In respect of the allegations made by the couple regarding their caravan, we must highlight that firstly this is a holiday site, and not a residential site. Further the couple have not engaged in any communications with the company regarding selling the caravan and therefore their comments are wholly refuted. "The 19-page licence agreement in place with the couple (signed on each page) is for one year, and they are at liberty to move to another holiday site if they so desire." Find out what's happening near you
Leader Live
9 hours ago
- Leader Live
No limit to ChatGPT searches ‘remarkable' given environmental impact
Shielded from the midday blazing heat and the roar of motor cars in a darkened tent, Future Lab displayed technologies, robotics and virtual realities to excite the imaginations of festival goers in Chichester on Saturday. Among the displays was a humanoid robot, with moving, re-active facial features powered by ChatGPT responses, creators call it Ameca. Major Peake, the first British man to visit the International Space Station, has worked with Future Lab since its first iteration in 2017. Despite his excitement about the new technologies and possible uses of artificial intelligence (AI), he acknowledged the environmental impact of data centres used to run them. He told the PA news agency: 'There is no limit to how much they can use ChatGPT, they can be streaming cat videos and making avatars and doing what they want with no – no concern of how much energy that is using and how much water is using to cool. 'It's limitless, and it shouldn't be. Every single google search is having an impact, and an AI google search is a 30% increase in energy to function than a standard Google search and you don't even get the choice now.' Tech companies have hugely increased their water consumption needs for cooling data centres in recent years, according to The Times, writing one 100 word email using the (GP-4) version of the chatbot is equivalent to a 500ml water bottle. 'Maybe that's what we need next to the google search box – 'please search responsibly',' the former astronaut added. Business Energy UK has estimated that ChatGPT may presently use around 39.98 Million kWh per day — enough to charge eight million phones. Major Peake was quick to argue that the answers lie in space, using 'orbital data centres', he added that he was working with a company, Axium Space, who were set to launch two nodes later this year. He explained: 'The idea being that by the mid-2030s you have cost-parity between choosing an Orbital data centre vs a cloud server – you know, a database that would be here on earth. 'Because in space you've got clean, free limitless energy and you've got limitless ability to have thermal rejection into the vacuum of space with no impact on the environment.' Critics of this approach, such as Dr Domenico Vicinanza – associate professor of intelligent systems and data science at Anglia Ruskin University in the UK, say it may not be that simple. 'Space-based data centres would require not only the data equipment but also the infrastructure to protect, power, and cool them. All of which add up in weight and complexity,' Dr Vicinanza told the BBC. Asked about space and the environment, Major Peake said: 'It might not hold all the answers but it holds many answers and it forms a large percentage of the solution I think. 'In terms of right now, more than 50% of our climate data is coming from space so it's the finger on the pulse of the planet.' The displays at Future Lab presented a window into the cutting edge of science, mapping deep space, exploring the depths of the ocean, and the latest AI and robotics. The CEO of the National Robotarium, Stuart Miller, said the event 'helped people understand what's coming' and added that they wanted to ask how robots and humans can 'live in harmony together'. Ameca, the humanoid robot created by Cornwall-based company Engineered Arts, was the star attraction for many – able to hold and double back to parts of a conversation and answer questions quickly. Major Peake said: 'Her non-verbal responses really surprised me, and then you realise that's AI's interpretation of human interaction as well so it's not just the verbal responses you're getting, you're getting the AI response in terms of non-verbal skills.' Surrounded by cars, in a corner of a field in Chichester, some of the UK's newest scientific innovations piqued the interest of the crowds, but Major Peake acknowledged there has to be 'a balance' in how much AI should do, and considered whether it erodes human curiosity. 'There is absolutely a balance and that's why it's important to educate people that AI's just a tool – a tool for humans to use.' he said. Later asking: 'Does ChatGPT, does AI just make it too easy for us? Does it just give it to us rather than making us work for it? And how much pleasure is there in actually finding something out rather than just reading and learning something?'
