A prominent but long-vacant department store in a Suffolk coastal town has been formally listed for sale, nearly seven years after its doors closed to the public.
A Building in Limbo
The former Beales store in Lowestoft shut down permanently in April 2019 and has remained empty ever since. In a move that offered some hope for regeneration, East Suffolk Council approved plans in May 2024 to convert the site into a mixed-use development featuring five new retail units and 45 flats.
However, no construction work has ever begun on the approved project. The building is now being marketed on a freehold basis by agents Whybrow & Dodds Ltd, based in Colchester, with an asking price of £895,000.
Prime Location and Retail Context
In its sales particulars, the agent highlights the property's prominent position on the junction with Regent Street, describing it as a "mixed commercial and residential area". It notes proximity to major retailers including British Heart Foundation, Sports Direct, and Clarks.
The brick-built property offers extensive sales space over ground and first floor levels, with parking at both the front and rear. This sale comes against a backdrop of significant challenges for the UK's traditional retail and department store sectors.
The Wider Retail Landscape
The Beales chain itself, founded in Bournemouth in 1881, collapsed into administration in 2020, leading to the closure of all its 23 shops at that time. Although three branches later reopened in Poole, Peterborough, and Southport, these too have subsequently shut. The final store, in Poole's Dolphin Centre, closed in May 2025.
This trend is echoed by other major retailers. River Island recently confirmed the exact dates for the closure of 27 more of its stores in late January 2026, following a High Court-approved restructure. This follows the shuttering of several other branches, including those in Brighton and Edinburgh Princes Street, in late 2025. The chain is also reducing rents at 71 other shops as part of its survival plan.
The fate of the substantial Beales building in Lowestoft now rests with a new owner who can finally bring forward a viable future for this dormant town centre site.
