Businesses in Albion Street, Derby have been dealt another blow this week after the pavement outside the units was dug up for electrical works believed to be linked to Derbion.
An outraged landlord said this was another blow to businesses on the street following the shock closure of the Derbion entrance last autumn, the impact of which had been “immediate and severe”.
Arran Bailey, managing director of ALB Group and owners of buildings 1–6 Albion Street, said: “The works have completely blocked the entrance to one shop, prompting a prospective tenant who had been viewing the unit to walk away and say they were no longer interested.”
He added that they had only become aware of the works after speaking to contractors on site and had received no prior notice.
Arran joins a growing list of businesses speaking out against the sudden closure of a Derbion entrance and the associated works.
The entrance on Albion Street in Derby city centre was closed without warning on 13 November, after landlords received a same‑day email from the centre’s managing agents, Savills. By that evening, the doors had been locked.
The closure is expected to last until 2027 while Derbion builds a new dedicated entrance for Primark as part of the retailer’s relocation from 28-31 Cornmarket.
Arran said the street was being “killed off” with footfall reduced and businesses forced to close which for him had resulted in up to £100,000 a year in lost rent.
He said: “We need some action now to mitigate the devastating impact of this entrance closure, which has been immediate and severe for our tenants. Two of our tenants, Gloryholes and homeware store Cotton Co, have already vacated their units due to the collapse in footfall. The length of this closure is slowly killing the street.”
Remaining ALB tenants include Phone Unit, Hatchet Harry’s, Critical Hit and the Olive Tree Café. Some of whom have already expressed their despair at the closure.
When the entrance first closed, Kevin Murray of the Olive Tree Cafe in Albion Street was quoted as saying that trade had instantly suffered over the first weekend following the closure, describing the reduction in footfall as "massive". He said: "We've been told this is the busiest street in Derby for footfall, busier than St Peter's Street, and now it's going to be the quietest.”
In an update last week, six months after the closure, he said: "Trade is down between 40 and 45 percent, there's simply not enough up here for people to visit… There's no reason for anybody to come up here, even my customers won't walk all the way around because a lot of them are a little older, and it really is a lot for them to walk all the way around. We keep pleading for lower business rates and any help from the council, but we've not been given anything.”
With no immediate help forthcoming from Derby City Council, the landlord says they cannot offer support because the losses are already too great. With two units empty, they estimate they are losing between £60,000 and £100,000 a year in rent.
Despite the scale of the impact, the landlord says Derby City Council has offered "no communication, no support and no solutions".
Arran said: “The closure has stripped Albion Street of passing trade and left the area looking abandoned.
“The speed at which the entrance closed was a complete shock and has been devastating to local businesses as demonstrated by the firms that were forced to close. We had no prior warning that the entrance would be repurposed for Primark, so we couldn’t give our tenants any advance warning, there was nothing in planning documents suggested such a long disruption.
“No consideration has been given to how this affects the people trying to make a living here. This closure is now deterring independent operators from committing to Derby at all.
“We’re trying our best to revive this street with solid tenants and bring footfall back but the council is not supporting this. The only response that we are aware of came indirectly, via another property owner, who was told that “no rules have been broken by Derbion”.
They believe the Derbion upgrades are happening at the expense of surrounding retailers and landlords, none of whom are benefitting from the closure. They are now calling for urgent business‑rate relief and financial support to prevent more traders from walking away.
“We want to know what the council is doing to support businesses and how they expect landlords and tenants to survive during this closure.”
As for whether Primark’s arrival will eventually help Albion Street, Arran says it is impossible to judge. “We won’t know until it opens. Right now, the street is suffering and confidence in Derby is being eroded.”
Derby City Council has said previously that it had "no control" over the decision to close the entrance, adding that it cannot influence changes to tenants' rents as it does not own the properties.