Bracknell shoppers have dubbed the town centre’s shopping complex the ‘LexiGONE’ when it was noted that a further three popular stores have stood empty over the last year.

In a play on words, this comes from the news that three more popular stores have now sat empty for months throughout 2023, adding to the seven that emptied during and after the pandemic.

Although some find that the closing of increasingly popular stores, others believe that this is the chance for Bracknell ‘to shine’ by adding a host of new popular stores that shoppers have been requesting for years.

According to Amanda Murphy-Brown this includes shops and restaurants such as Miller and Carter, Browns, Space NK, Zara and the White Company.

Zara has been a store that residents have been hoping to see arrive in the Lexicon since the opening and beginning of the regeneration.

Although many growing towns have seen the popular clothing store appear within the town centre, there is no news that it will be coming to Bracknell in the near future despite the number of empty suitable venues.

The news that the Deck has been rejected for development is a massive blow for the town centre and something that will affect the possible nightlife that Bracknell could have benefited from.

After moving to the commuter town one year ago Hannah Little said she is shocked at the lack of music venues and nightlife across the town centre.

She said: “The Bull, the old manor, or coffee and cocktails could host quizzes, an open mic night, live music, DJ sets but none of them do.

“There are also no live performance venues for shows and musicals etc. Perhaps this is because London is so close but it would be nice to see some of these nightlife venues in town.”

A suggestion was that these empty units may be transformed into late-night entertainment venues now that The Deck has been rejected.

A popular opinion by Lou Scannon is that high streets and shopping centres are dead because we all order stuff online!!! From cars to pizzas and everything in between that’s why shops are closing in droves.

Despite this, however, recent research has suggested that despite disappearing shops on the high streets, shoppers are beginning to journey in to get a more personal customer experience.