A 'lot of movement' spotted in retail units around Windsor town centre

Retail units have ‘seen a lot of movement’ in recent months, says the Windsor town manager – with several more stores opening in Windsor imminently.

Speaking at the Windsor forum on Wednesday (July 23), Paul Roach shared the vacancy rates and latest retail updates in the royal town.

While food eateries Fuwa Fuwa and Paeonia are the latest closures in Windsor Royal Station, new openings include Tweeds and Tartan and Nobody’s Child.

Windsor Royal welcomed the latter women's clothing store as a ‘beloved brand’ in an Instagram post on their opening day on Friday, July 18.

Meanwhile, a popular Danish retailer has teased its store opening in the former Topshop unit.

Søstrene Grene offers contemporary hobby items and kitchen accessories, known for its Scandinavian-inspired homewares and interior design products.

A renovation is underway at H&M, and it will remain temporarily closed until November 2025.

The new tenant of the Swarovski unit currently under offer is unknown, but new food offerings include a Mexican restaurant and the Eastern Mediterranean all-day restaurant chain, Megan’s.

The retail vacancy rate in Windsor, which is the national average of 12 per cent in June 2025, is ‘looking quite positive’ if no further closures occur this summer, added Paul.

“We’ve seen a lot of movement in retail, certainly in June and May. Since the backend of last year, there are a lot of units that weren’t available to let, and that has now increased,” he told councillors.

This means landlords and tenants are starting dilapidation works, intending to put units on the market, which is a 'good thing', said Paul.

Cllr Wisdom Da Costa (WWRA, Clewer and Dedworth West) noted the heritage of Windsor town centre previously boasted more ‘unique individual shops’ and ‘didn’t have a stack of chains’.

“The identity was unique and very, very clear, and the offering was excellent as well,” he added.

“We’ve seen a change over the decades in commercialisation and the bigger chains coming in, which detracts from the ethos of Windsor.”

Paul agreed that many multinationals have replaced independent stores in the town, but the council is ‘in the hands of the landlords’.

“It is very difficult because the council doesn’t own a lot of property, so it can’t dictate the offers coming in,” he added.

“We can’t force their hand, really.”

But Paul believes COVID was an ‘eye-opener’ that confirmed ‘diverse’ and independent stores, such as those in Eton and St Leonard’s Road, often ‘bounced back a lot quicker’.

“It’s those clone towns that struggled to get through COVID,” he added.

The town manager hopes more ‘leisure-type’ units open in Windsor, such as indoor golf, axe-throwing and cricket, as he has increasingly spotted in other towns.

One registered speaker addressed the disappearance of wellness shops in Windsor and the growing number of food outlets, to the detriment of Windsor residents.

“We have more and more restaurants, but what about the local people that live in Windsor – the everyday things have been overlooked – it’s just about restaurants,” she told councillors.

Meeting chair Cllr Mark Wilson (Lib Dem, Eton and Castle) agreed and said it reflected the sentiments of residents in his Eton and Castle ward, adding: “To a degree we are at the mercy of the market.”