Retail History
In the early 1980s, retail warehouses began to appear on the Purley Way. The first opened on the Thornton Road Industrial Estate: the Queensway furniture store in 1980, MFI furniture in 1981, Payless DIY in 1983 and Do It All in 1986.
Sainsbury's opened its first Homebase store on Purley Way in 1981. The first PC World opened on Purley Way in 1991.
Several distinct retail parks are now found along the length of the Purley Way, including Valley Park Retail and Leisure Complex, Croydon Fiveways and Colonnades Leisure Park.
The development of the area for retail purposes was not the result of local planning guidance, but occurred as part of a national trend towards out of town shopping. The retail parks were not formally recognised by Croydon Council until the publication of its 1997 Unitary Development Plan.
Read more about this topic: Purley Way
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