THE home of Bournemouth’s House of Fraser store is on the market for around £5million.

The Old Christchurch Road building is being marketed as a “prime town centre redevelopment/investment opportunity”.

Estate agents say it could be used for residential or student accommodation, a hotel or leisure, as well as retail.

Their sales brochure reveals that House of Fraser is currently paying five per cent of its turnover as rent.

Joint agents Goadsby and Knight Frank say the premises offer “numerous development and asset management opportunities” and offers of at least £4.95m are being sought.

House of Fraser and Sports Direct owner could close stores over business rates

The premises cover half an acre and include 83,384sqft in a basement, ground floor and four further floors.

The agents say there are 436,000 people in the store’s catchment area, with an “estimated shopping population” of 182,000.

“Bournemouth is projected to see above average population growth over the period 2019 to 2024. The town’s catchment population is affluent with an over-representation of the most affluent AB and C1 social groups,” they add.

Brights to Dingles, looking back through the years

There are more than 20,000 students at the town’s two universities and Old Christchurch Road enjoys “excellent footfall”, the agents say.

The building is currently on a “flexible licence” to SDI (Propco 73), trading as House of Fraser.

Directors of SDI (Propco 73) include Mike Ashley, the Sports Direct boss who bought House of Fraser’s assets when the department store chain went into administration in August 2018.

“The property is let on flexible terms offering the purchaser an exciting opportunity to reposition the property for a variety of uses including residential, student accommodation, hotel, retail and leisure uses, subject to planning,” the agents say.

Bournemouth’s House of Fraser faced closure in 2018, when previous owners put the branch on a list of 31 to be axed in a bid to save the business. But the plan changed after the company went into administration and was bought by Mr Ashley.

The store began as Bright’s of Bournemouth in 1871, when Frederick Bright opened a shop selling needlework and wool in the Arcade. He expanded into neighbouring shops and then an adjacent building.

The store’s distinctive towers and iron facades helped earn it status as a grade two listed building.

Bright’s was bought by JJ Allen and then House of Fraser, which branded it as Dingles. It was renamed House of Fraser in 2007.

Debenhams in Bournemouth to reopen for closing down sale

House of Fraser is set to be the last of Bournemouth's big department stores still trading.

The town lost Beales when the company went into administration in early 2020, while its Debenhams in the Square is holding a closing down sale.