Guildbourne Centre in Worthing full for first time in years – full list of shops, pictures and video

​The indoor shopping centre, located in the heart of Worthing, now has 21 tenants, including the full top floor occupied by Rooms, a co-working and conference space run by Redeemer church.

The newest tenant is a tea room called Victoria’s Sponge, which is aiming to open at the end of this month. It will occupy two units at the front of the centre, which were freed up when Sew Silver and BDR Trading Surplus moved into bigger units further back.

It is all part of a conscious effort to transform the Guildbourne Centre’s fortunes – by its management, the tenants and social media and marketing manager Melanie Peters.

Having previously been derided on social media for a lack of shopping offering, for being outdated and lacking in aesthetic appeal, the plan to see the centre prosper is working.

Yes, there are still ridiculous calls for it to be knocked down and replaced with a Primark by those who haven’t actually ventured inside and taken a proper look around recently.

But if you do take a walk around, what you’ll find is a real mix of independent businesses, run by passionate, friendly people who want the Guildbourne Centre to thrive.

One of them is Phil Duckett, owner of Worthing Gin and also a director of the Worthing Town Centre Initiative. He moved into the centre in November, 2019, and said: “I chose the Guildbourne Centre because I thought it had a lot of potential. The best is still to come.

“There’s a great range of interesting and independent shops, and it just fitted into my school of thought. We had lockdown soon after I moved in, but we got through it, and now the centre is all full. It just goes to show there is a demand for good local shops.

“There are some good plans to take the centre forward – it’ll be really good – everyone is excited for the future. It’s evolving, that’s the exciting thing. The centre is a business, it’s growing and we’re putting it out there and letting people know about what’s happening here, which is so important.

“People want to be proud of their town, and here, the shop owners are proud of what they are doing. I’m proud to be part of it, too.”

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The current longest-serving tenant is Guildbourne Meats, which opened in March, 2004. But the centre itself dates back to 1974, when it was opened in August by then mayor of Worthing S.C. Elliott.

It used to have shops, bars and restaurants spread across its two floors, but the last shop on the top floor closed around 27 years ago. Until recently, the whole top floor sat empty, until Redeemer church bought the space and gave it a £1million renovation.

It now boasts co-working stations for dozens of employees, meeting rooms for hire, space for parties and community groups to be held and a flexible auditorium that seats up to 250 people.

Director Rachel Tostevin said it was important for Redeemer to make a difference.

“We have a nice community here at the Guildbourne Centre, and it’s lovely to see the impact we have had up here making a difference to what’s happening downstairs.

“We want to be a catalyst for change, and we want the centre to flourish in a way it hasn’t since the 1970s.”

Rooms opened in August, 2021, after Redeemer bought the site in August, 2020, and spent nine months completely renovating it. The church had previously been based at Worthing High School, but had been looking for a base to call its own for 15 years.

Lead Elder at Redeemer, Joel Tostevin, said: “With the things we are doing we want to serve the town by running a great business here. We want to be a blessing to the Guildbourne Centre and we want to see it do well.”

FULL LIST OF TENANTS AND SERVICES: BDR Trading Surplus - Army surplus; Brent Lodge Bird & Wildlife Trust - charity shop; Brighton Implant Clinic - private dentist, Cassino Leisure - casino and arcades; Charlene's Chocolate Factory - chocolate and sweets (including workshops); Contrast Clothing - gym and leisure wear including Nike trainers; DeBra - charity shop; Dr Health - Chinese medicine and health; The Environmental Agency; ; Fit Lab Ltd; Guildbourne Meats Limited; Guildbourne Cafe; Madonna - vegan perfume; Mindworks Escape Rooms; Redeemer - church; ROOMS - room hire, conference and event hire, co-working space; Robert Luff - estate agent; Sewsilver - silver, cards, gifts, china and more; Toy Barnhaus - toy shop; Victoria Sponge OPENING SOON - tea rooms; West Sussex Fitted Kitchens - kitchen and wardrobe fitters; Wilko; Worthing Gin - gin shop; Worthing Food Bank

Part of the plan for building on the centre’s upward trajectory is hosting regular events.

There have been Easter egg hunts, a change to make your own Lego with staff from Toy Barnhaus, an event with reptiles last summer and, at the end of last year, a hugely popular Christmas grotto run by Ali Baker, the manager of Brent Lodge.

Ali, who has been at the charity shop since the month after it opened in January, 2017, said she absolutely loved being part of the Guildbourne Centre community.

“We have regular customers, and new customers, it’s a real mix. Everyone works together, and I have definitely felt a change recently. November, December and January have been our best months ever. We’d just like to see the aesthetics improved a bit, which would help everyone.”

One of the youngest tenants is Eamonn, who runs Contrast Clothing. He’s been in the centre for 10 months, having decided to launch his first-ever business.

He designs and sells his own range of clothes, as well as reselling high-end sneakers. He said he ‘can’t thank the Guildbourne Centre enough’ adding ‘it’s an honour to be here and I couldn’t be happier I chose to open in the Guildbourne’.

Opposite Eamonn, Toy Barnhaus has just won the Independent Toy Retailer of the Year at the Toy Industry Awards 2022. Its success is testament to just how passionate its manager Sarah Cheesman is about operating the business from the Guildbourne Centre.

It has been based there for five years, having spent the five years prior to that in the Montague Centre. The Guildbourne space is bigger, and Sarah said the business hasn’t looked since it moved in.

“Whatever we do, I always make sure I advertise the Guildbourne Centre, because I want to bring people into the centre – it’s good for everyone.

“I love being here. We’ve got more space and it’s allowed us to expand our range. It’s so positive in here and the vibes are lovely.”

In Sew Silver next door, owner Samantha Whittington is relishing her new home. She’s been a Guildbourne tenant for 12 years, but moved units last year to allow room for Victoria’s Sponge to move in.

It’s given her more than twice as much space, and she’s loving expanding her business and being part of the culture of change that’s in the air.

“There’s a real feeling of camaraderie here, with really, really nice vibes. Everybody is really positive and really keen to make it work for everyone.

“It’s the first time in a really, really long time every unit has been full. We are working hard to change people’s perceptions and, hopefully, it’s starting to work.”

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Carole Ryan of BDR Trading Surplus agreed, saying she’d noticed an increase in footfall and was optimistic about the future.

Melanie Peters, of Rocket Social Media and Marketing, is helping the Guildbourne to improve its online presence and get the word out there about the change that’s happening.

And as well as events being held year-round, she’s also keen for more pop-up businesses to rent space in the centre from time to time.

She said: “My perception of the Guildbourne used to be quite different, but since I’ve been involved it’s changed a lot.

“There’s a lot going on here, and we want to shout about that. I’m excited for what comes next.”