Here are all the businesses that opened in Salisbury this year

Another year draws to a close. Another year with Covid-19. Another year where Salisbury businesses have had to prove their strength and resilience, say Salisbury's Business Improvement District.

According to Salisbury BID, despite the ongoing pandemic and worries over the Omicron variant, there is good news as Salisbury continues to attract entrepreneurs.

Since January 2021, there have been a range of businesses to launch across the city centre ranging from a pet shop to a sight-loss hub, and a zero-waste store to a contemporary gallery.

Other businesses that opened this year include:

Dan Collins, Business Manager at Salisbury BID, commented, “It has not been the easiest of ends to 2021, but the appearance of so many new names on our streets proves that despite another tough year for businesses, that the future looks positive for Salisbury. It is a beautiful city that offers many opportunities for business owners and the fact that we have once again been named in the top ten bounce-back cities by Ipsos MORI can only increase its appeal.”

Salisbury, with the launch of these new businesses, is bucking the trend when it comes to its retail vacancy rate.

The latest figures collected by Salisbury BID and Springboard show that in October 2021 the number of empty ground floor units in Salisbury city centre stood at 9.8% which is lower than both the South West average (10.7%) and UK average (11.7%). That figure is also down on the same time last year - Salisbury had a 10.6% vacancy rate for October 2020.

Sofas and Stuff is the newest store to launch in Salisbury. The furniture business, which has taken over the old Laura Ashley premises on New Canal, opened its doors to customers on 27th December.

Clearway Pets was one of the first to open this year. They launched in the Cross Keys Shopping Centre in February.

Clearway Pets co-owner, Mike Adamson, said, “It’s been incredible. We cannot thank the local people of Salisbury enough for their support and how they have helped our business grow. We cannot wait to keep that growing next year.”

It has also been a good start for The Vanner Gallery on the High Street, which opened its doors in September. Gallery Director David Christie commented, “We’ve had such a warm welcome, both from residents and visitors to the city. There is a knowledgeable and engaged audience here for good contemporary art and we believe our exhibition programming for 2022 and beyond will give people a reason to visit again and again. We’ll be linking in with the 2022 Salisbury International Arts Festival as well, so it’s going to be great year for culture and visual art in the city.”

There is more good news moving into 2022, with a new fishmonger due to open on Fish Row, an Escape Room on Catherine Street, and a Lebanese food takeaway on New Canal just a few expected in the next few months.

The BID goes on to add that there is a positive outlook for 2022 in Salisbury and, with more renewal, growth and original events forecast, Salisbury BID looks forward to welcoming even more businesses, shoppers and visitors into a vibrant city centre.