THE sale of a Cardiff shopping centre could offer a glimmer of hope for the future of one of Newport's largest retail spaces.

When Debenhams ceased trading on the high street in 2021, many of its department stores fell into disuse, becoming looming reminders of the massive changes to the high street accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic.

This was the case in Newport and in Cardiff, where the former Debenhams stores had held proud positions in the cities' chief shopping centres, Friars Walk and St David's, respectively.

But the announcement this week that property developers Landsec had taken full control of St David's, including buying the Debenhams site for a "minimal sum", suggests there could yet be another chapter in the life the capital's shuttered department store premises.

If the new owners decide to make something of the unit, it means Newport will be one of the few remaining places in Wales where the long-term future of the former Debenhams store is still unclear.

The Friars Walk unit is currently operating as a coronavirus vaccine centre but there are no guarantees this can - or will - continue past the summer, when the Welsh Government calls time on its universal Covid jab programme. 

Elsewhere in Wales, old Debenhams stores have been converted in a variety of ways.

In places like Haverfordwest, Llandudno and Llanelli, other retailers have filled the spaces left behind; while in Carmarthen, the former Debenhams has been converted into a council-run community "Hwb" for public services. 

In Cardiff, Landsec, which already owned half of St David's, is enthusiastic about the future of the shopping centre, which it said was benefitting from a "flight to prime" as retailers seek out attractive locations to open.

The firm said it had bought the remaining share following "strong" momentum from new tenants, including the opening of several new stores and hospitality venues.

The purchase "unlocks the opportunity to deliver its future vision for the centre", Landsec said, and the firm's managing director, Bruce Findlay, said St David's had "the necessary attributes of what we see as a shopping centre of the future".

Despite picking up the Debenhams lot for a "minimal" fee separate to the main St David's deal, the company feels the property can contribute to its "future vision" for the shopping centre, including "new public spaces" and elevated "food and beverage and leisure concepts".