The Concourse Shopping Centre: The Old and the New…

Since the Concourse opened its doors in September 1973, it has been a vital resource for many people within the Skelmersdale community.

It is a place where people come from all over the town and from further afield to shop indoors in a clean, friendly and safe environment.

Located in the centre of Skelmersdale, it’s a handy shopping destination for locals who don’t drive due to the excellent bus services, easy access to taxis, and its accessible walking routes from most areas of Skelmersdale. The centre also boasts five hours of free parking – and if you have an EV, you’ll also find two electric vehicle charging points

When you speak of ‘the Conny’ to locals, especially from a historical point of view, it evokes all kinds of memories. For example, the upstairs market, Duncan’s Chippy, Dunne’s and Presto supermarket hold fond memories for many. There was also the old cinema, which many will also remember fondly.

Skelmersdale was without a cinema for 39 years until last year, when Capitol Cinema opened its doors to an enthusiastic audience and movie lovers are flocking to see the latest releases as well as classic favourites.

In addition to the cinema, several new businesses and organisations are now filling up empty units and building a strong presence within the town. Slideways Drift Rc, The A World, Siesta Coffee, and based in the Concourse Kitchen we have the new Roy’s Rolls and The Cheeky Chicks, who have all had a great response from visitors.

In the Market Hall, several established businesses have been trading for many years, such as Murphy & Sons Butchers, the Sweet Stall, The Make Up Shop and Kirby Discount Carpets.

As you may have read in our summer issue, trialling stalls in the market has proven successful for many businesses. For example, Bathroom Heaven, which are now one of the Concourse’s most popular and well-established stalls, as is The Make-up Shop.

The price for trialling a stall is just £50 a week for up to four weeks, but once the trial ends, businesses can then rent a stall for as little as £100 a week. In addition to the units in the Market Hall, there are also a few spaces available in the Concourse Kitchen that can be leased for just £100 per week! This is a great opportunity for local food businesses to take advantage of, but you have to be quick; they are proving popular at the moment. The area is so bright, and there are plenty of tables perfect for your customers to people watch.