Mum and daughter celebrate opening fashion outlet in new Beales store in Southport

A Mum and daughter who run a  fast-growing fashion boutique are looking forward to welcoming customers when the new look Beales department store opens in Southport this Thursday (12th August). 

Gill and Lucy Harper run the popular Lucy Lou's Boutique on Botanic Road in Churchtown, a ladies’ fashion shop which stocks the latest trends on the high street both in-store and online.

They opened in Churchtown in 2019, just a few months before the Covid pandemic and lockdown struck. But they swiftly turned their energy to social media, posting regular fashion videos and updates which quickly saw them attract over 11,000 followers on Instagram and nearly 10,000 on Facebook. 

Now they can’t wait to become part of the new Beales on Lord Street, right at the heart of Southport town centre. 

Lucy Lou’s Boutique co-owner Lucy Harper said: “It is all very exciting, something really new for us. 

“We are looking forward to stocking different ranges in Beales to what we have in our boutique in Churchtown. 

“It will give people who visit both our stores a huge range of choice, and a bigger shopping experience. We also have lots of choice on our website too. 

“We really appreciate that Beales has decided to set up their store this way, giving opportunities to local businesses such as ourselves to open concessions, and supporting local businesses. 

“They have given us an opportunity we would never otherwise have had. 

“Other department stores would never give local businesses the chance to show what they have to offer. 

“Tony Brown (the CEO of Beales) has been fantastic in helping us, and other local businesses, the chance to become part of this new store. 

“That is why it is going to be such a huge success.” 

Lucy Lou’s Boutique originally operated from Eastbank Street in Southport town centre, but Gill and Lucy decided to close seven years ago. They decided to sell their clothes online instead, before opening a new boutique in the picturesque village of Churchtown. 

Since then, while there is still a good choice of men’s clothes shops in Southport town centre, the choice for ladies fashion has become very limited. It hasn’t been helped by the closure of stores including Debenhams, BHS, Outfit, TopShop, Miss Selfridge and others in recent years. 

Lucy Lou’s Boutique has been thriving in Churchtown, but they hope to address the balance. 

In Beales, they will be joined by another local brand, Miss Attire, growingly-popular Australian ladies fashion brand, Forever New, and others. 

Lucy said: “When you want to look for a great last-minute outfit in Southport it’s been very difficult recently, but hopefully that is about to change now with Beales opening. 

“There has become a real gap in the market and so we were delighted to be able to branch out into Southport town centre. 

“People just need to believe in it now and support Beales.” 

When Beales in Southport opens this Thursday, it will include a number of local concessions, including: Remedy, Lucy Lou’s Boutique, Plaza Cards, Molloys Furnishers, In Time, Miss Attire, Naked Peak and others, in addition to well-known national and international brands including: Forever New, Jack & Jones, Craghoppers, Carabou, Shuropody, and many more. 

It is a store that really does support local businesses. 

Beales CEO Tony Brown said: “My message to people would be - please use us, or lose us! 

“We have shown with our investment the huge confidence we have in this town. Now we hope that people will support us, and the local businesses that we have in here.”

• Beales on Lord Street in Southport opens at 9.30am this Thursday, 12th August. To celebrate, they are giving the first 150 people through the doors a free gift voucher worth up to £200. You can spend this on anything you want, but it must be used on Thursday 12th August only. Voucher values available are £200, £50, £25, £10 and £5.