Owners give update on Elder Way development in Chesterfield town centre

Built in the 1930s, the Elder Way site, boasts a mock-Tudor frontage and previously hosted the Co-op department store. Now it is one of the key developments within Chesterfield Borough Council’s £60million Northern Gateway Scheme.

A Premier Inn hotel already occupies the upper two floors of the building where it has been successfully operating since 2019. Recently Premier Inn owner Whitbread reported that its first-quarter sales came in ahead of last year’s figures, supported by strong demand for travel and leisure and robust performance of its UK hotels.

On the lower floors, Jomast, a property development company, has transformed the former Co-op into a landmark mixed-use leisure scheme comprising seven street-level units and a 16,285 sq. ft. basement. The site is being marketed to food and drink, and gym operators as well as retailers.

This week, Jomast has appointed FHP as an official joint agent of Elder Way FHP. is the dominant retail and leisure agent within the Midlands, with offices in Nottingham, Birmingham and Derby, and has won the EGi East Midlands Most Active Retail Agent award for the last 13 years. FHP will now work alongside WSB Property to jointly market the Elder Way scheme nationally to potential occupiers.

There are currently a number of leasing opportunities available at the 21,761 sq ft scheme, from smaller E Class and Sui Generis Bar units of 1,420 sq. ft. upwards to larger units of up to 4,704 sq. ft.

Alan Pearson, Director and Head of the Retail and Leisure at FHP commented: “We are pleased to partner with WSB Property to introduce Elder Way to a wider audience across the East Midlands the units are suitable for a variety of uses following the change of the use class order which opens this up to office and clinical use, alongside the traditional retail and leisure use.”

Mark Hill, Commercial Property Director of Jomast, added: “We’re committed to creating developments and regenerating properties that have a transformative effect on towns and cities and Elder Way embodies this. It is a pivotal site both in the town centre and the Northern Gateway scheme in Chesterfield.”