Sugar and spice and all things nice come to “rapidly growing” Royal Quays

The latest new retail businesses to move into the North Shields based Royal Quays Independent and Outlet Centre has added a touch of sugar and spice and all things nice to the expanding shopping and entertainment visitor destination.

Namaste - A Taste of India and Sweet Memories are the newest businesses to relocate to the outlet after leaving their previous premises in Whitley Bay and Stockton respectively.

Outlet centre manager Matt Dawson welcomed both businesses and explained: “We’ve actively encouraged smaller independent businesses to join the Royal Quays family and since we started this policy, we’ve gone from having 17 empty units 18 months ago to having only four now.

“The whole feel of the outlet has changed, and the public seem to like the blend of big stores and small local traders like Namaste and Sweet Memories. We’ve now got a fantastic collection of different businesses here and it’s a real family destination rather than just somewhere to shop.

“You can come here to eat, drink, play games in our Retro Arcade and you can even take part in dance classes. All of these things give the centre a character that it’s never had before and I’m glad to say that footfall is increasing, and we have a very unique place to visit.”

Namaste – a Taste of India is run by Sangeeta Chopra. Originally her business was based on selling Indian food, spices, and ingredients together with home cooked food but the opportunity to move into larger premises has enabled her to diversify into Indian based jewellery and fashion.

Sangeeta said: “I’ve now the space and location to provide a one stop shop for people who want clothes from designer dresses and outfits to simple bangles and jewellery items.

“My home cooked food is still very popular, and I have customers travelling miles to buy their favourite dishes and ingredients. Moving to Royal Quays has been great for business.”

Another new shop is Sweet Memories who supply old fashioned confectionery including jelly babies, liquorice, and traditional boiled sweets. Helen Brun commutes each day from her home in Stockton to the new shop.

“I’m from South Shields originally so I love the idea of coming back home and seeing the look on people’s faces when they see sweets from their past that they thought they would never see again like cherry lips or sherbet dip dabs. That’s why we called the shop Sweet Memories as they conjure up so many happy thoughts from our childhoods,” she added.