Do you remember shopping at Readmans? Andy Hutchinson reflects on the former Spence Lane superstore in Holbeck.
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00:00 Hi and welcome to Leeds then and today with me Andrew Hutchinson. Today we're
00:05 looking at a store which will be remembered by generations of bagging
00:09 hunters, Reedmans. Back in the day it was the place to visit for discounted clothes
00:16 and much much more.
00:19 The Reedmans store first opened here on Spence Lane at Holbeck in 1984 and even
00:28 by the turn of the century it was still competing with Harvey Nichols as the
00:33 place to go on a shopping weekend. The car park was always jam-packed full of
00:40 cars and even coach loads of shoppers looking for a bargain. This was an era
00:46 when out-of-town shopping really came to the fore.
00:52 [Sound of traffic]
01:01 Women's wear, children's clothing, men's wear, home wear. You needed a curtain? This is
01:08 the place where you got it. This was Reedmans and not only that it had a
01:13 cafe which many of you will remember enjoying a coffee and much more in.
01:21 I do remember Reedmans and I do remember going there with my sister in my early
01:28 twenties and I do remember enjoying just strolling around because there was so
01:33 much there but more than that I can't really remember because it's such a long
01:38 time ago but it was it was a really nice warm sort of welcoming place. I remember
01:44 that and I remember like the whole of Yorkshire you just meet people and talk
01:49 to people discuss various items with total strangers but it felt warm and
01:55 that's what I liked about it I think.
01:59 [Sound of traffic]
02:06 I remember it being a place that my my mother actually would talk about and say
02:13 let's go to Reedmans it's great for discount. It had a variety of goods and I
02:19 remember her and the neighbours saying let's have a trip out and I don't know
02:24 just go and enjoy some good shopping I guess it replaced well it's irreplaceable
02:28 because it was the place to be at the time so yeah.
02:33 [Sound of traffic]
02:40 Reedmans even sold M&S seconds it was very much at the forefront of a retail
02:46 transformation across the city and it will be remembered by generations of
02:52 shoppers despite not being here for the place to go on a weekend for bargains.
03:00 Thanks very much for watching bye for now.