Riot-hit fancy-dress shop will not re-open for two years (From Your Local Guardian)

Riot-hit Battersea shop will not re-open for two years

3:12pm Thursday 9th February 2012 in News By Alexandra Rucki

A fancy-dress shop ransacked and burned during the August riots will not be able to re-open for another two years, the owner has said.

The Party Superstore, in Lavender Hill, Battersea, is still boarded up and in need of urgent repair more than six months on from the civil unrest on August 8 last year.

The shop is currently trading on the top floor of nearby Debenhams, which was also pillaged during the riots.

Duncan Mundell, the shop’s managing director, praised Wandsworth Council for its support since the disorder but added he had not received much help from the Government.

Mr Mundell said: “There has been a 36 per cent dip in profits since the riots, and we no longer have the space to run the costume hire department of the business.

“It was devastating when it happened, but we got back into business within two months.

“It has been a real hard struggle, I think I had only three or four hours sleep after the fire at first.

“We are hoping 2012 is going to be good, it has been quiet so far but we have a huge amount of flags and bunting ready for the jubilee and are gearing up to it."

Although the fancy-dress shop’s business has struggled since it was set alight, businesses in the surrounding area are recovering slowly.

Lorinda Freint, town centre manager for Clapham Junction, said footfall was now back to normal, and a series of events in Lavender Hill over Christmas had also increased confidence in the area.

She said: “Nearly all of the shops are trading again, apart from Curry's which has left the town centre. There are now new shops – the Body Shop and WH Smith – and there is quite a lot of confidence growing in the area.

“People and business are getting more involved in the community – it has had a lasting effect."

Shops in the area including Debenhams and Waitrose have also started to take on apprentices and provide opportunities for the unemployed.

Battersea MP Jane Ellison praised the resilience of the various business owners.

She said: “Thankfully, all but a handful of businesses are trading again, and the police, with the help of residents, have identified many of the looters involved.

“There has been a thoughtful response to the wider social questions raised by the disorder – for example, a number of constituents have since taken an interest in projects to help young people get the right start in life.

“And of course, we can all be proud that Battersea’s ‘broom army’ became an icon of communities.”