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After the former Royal Quays was sold in 2023 and rebranded to Newcastle Quays, those working in the complex have seen plenty of positive change
Newcastle Quays, or Royal Quays as it was formerly known, was a thriving shopping destination for decades, but fell on hard times throughout the pandemic. The centre was sold in 2023 and subsequently rebranded, with independent businesses taking centre stage in the new look retail park.
There are a range of different shops and experiences on offer at the North Shields shopping area, with plenty of options, something which I personally was yet to experience. My last visit to Newcastle Quays was several years ago, so I felt like it was about time to see how it had developed in that time.
Arriving in the car park, something I noticed straight away is the impressive refurbishment, with new signage and a fresh coat of paint revitalising the look of the place. If you haven’t been to the retail park in recent years, you will be surprised to see the transformation that it has undergone, although familiar things remain, like the striking lighting clock, restored to its former glory.
It was a similar story when I walked in, with some familiar chain businesses such as Next, Greggs, Costa and Clarks still remaining, and fitting in well alongside the independent outlets that I was looking forward to discovering. On that point, I headed around the corner to do exactly that, and found myself at Planet Pets.
The pet shop, managed by Claire Ellison, has been in the centre for eight years, so she has witnessed the journey that the retail park has been on in that time. Claire, 41, spoke to me about her experiences while operating the business, alongside shop mascot Ellie, the Goffin’s cockatoo.
She said: “A lot has changed in the time that we have been based here, and of course the centre has been taken over and refurbished, with new paint and it looks fresh which is great. It would be nice to see more independents as we are a strong community here that help out the other businesses.
“The fact that people can bring their dogs and we are close to the beach really helps us personally, and if any of the businesses are putting an event on, it will be advertised throughout the retail park. We still get people coming down and saying that they didn’t know we were here, alongside our strong base of regular customers.
“I also think that having the big chain places really helps us out too, as they almost advertise for us, as their names get people to come and they can then discover all the independents at the same time. I think that there are a lot of positives here at the moment, and it will only get better the more businesses we have.”
I then moved on, at Claire’s recommendation, to go and see Ryan Clarke, who runs First Come, First Served, along with his dad. The family business has every product you could ask for in one place, with very affordable prices from what I could see.
On the shop’s almost two years in the retail park, Ryan said: “I think we have been successful because we have been engaged with our customers, and bring them what they ask for in terms of individual products. We bring that personal touch and check in with people on Facebook to see how things are going.
“An example of that is the Pitman Pies, which have been a massive success for us and have been so popular with our customers. We are good friends with the other businesses here and it is great to be a part of such a welcoming community, where everyone works together so we are all successful, and I think it will only keep getting better from here.”
Heading further into the retail park, I visited Brood Play Cafe, a space where families can take their young children to relax, get some food and socially interact with other kids. Initially started by Rhiannon Griffith in 2022, and expanded in September 2024, Brood has proven to be a hit with parents.
Rhiannon, 28, said: “It has been amazing to see how much parents have loved coming here, and we want to make it the ideal space for them to enjoy with their little ones. On top of that, matcha has become a surprise hit, and I have that as a separate part of the business which comes from my own personal passion.
“As everyone else will have said, we have an amazing community of businesses here, and we are especially close with Home of Bebe, as they are in a similar area to us. Bianca from there is one of my closest friends and was at my wedding, and I only knew here from here, so I think that show just how great it is.
“For things to get even more positive, it would be great to see more national chains, as they bring in more footfall which we can then benefit from. I always think that aesthetically we can strive to make the retail park look the best it can be, and continuing with the regeneration can only be a good thing for everyone.”
Finally, I went to see Bianca Robson after Rhiannon mentioned how close she was to the owner of Home of Bebe, just a couple of units further up. The 29-year-old has had the business for three and a half years, with manager Brooklyn Dodds helping to run things at the one stop shop for everything a parent of an infant needs.
Bianca also said: “We are in a lovely place and there have definitely been a lot of improvements made to the centre while we have been here, which is great to see. Of course, things could always be better, but the national shops with good reputations help to get people here in the first place.
“We work well with every business, especially Brood, and it would always help us if we could get even more people here as customers, but also more businesses to fill the empty spaces. We know if we need anything, the other businesses will help us, and the community spirit here is one of the best parts.”
Speaking to the independent businesses at the Newcastle Quays, the word that kept coming up was ‘community’, which I really think shows how well supported the different shops and venues are by one another. They are all pushing in the right direction to try and restore the shopping centre to its former glory.
What was also good to hear is that the management are doing the same, with improvements having been made to make it a more attractive place to visit. Newcastle Quays seems to be back on an upward trajectory, and I’m looking forward to seeing more thriving independent businesses when I next visit.
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