PLANS: RESTAURANT GIVES ITS SUPPORT TO CAMPAIGN

by John Roberts

One of the city's newest businesses has given its support to the Telegraph & Argus Buy It In Bradford campaign.

Abacus restaurant chose Bradford's Leisure Exchange in Vicar Lane as the venue for its second outlet because of the ambitious regeneration plans taking place in the city.

And now the manager of the oriental restaurant is backing the T&A campaign to ensure the city continues to grow while redevelopment work takes place in the city.

Tony Lau said: "We came to see the site and we were impressed with it. Our first restaurant is in a leisure park in Bolton so it fitted in with what we had done before.

"We were also impressed with everything that is happening in Bradford and all of the regeneration work which is taking place and we wanted to be a part of that."

Abacus moved into the last unit on the Leisure Exchange, marking the completion of the multi-million pound retail park on the edge of the city centre.

The Leisure Exchange was opened in 2001 and is owned and run by developer JJGallagher. It is valued at £40 million and is home to a 16-screen cinema, a 28lane bowling alley, a £5 million casino and a hotel.

Mr Lau welcomed the BuyIt In Bradford campaign and urged shoppers to continue to keep using the city.

And he said he believed the opening of the Abacus restaurant had filled a gap in the market for people wanting to dine out in Bradford. He said: "We are a Chinese Oriental restaurant. A lot of our dishes are Chinese but we also do Japanese, Thai with red and green curries and Malaysian. Another of the reasons we came to Bradford was because we didn't think there was anything like us on offer who provide contemporary oriental cuisine."

The T&A BuyIt In Bradford campaign was launched earlier this month to ensure Bradford shoppers continue to use the city centre while building work at the Rawson Quarter and the massive new Broadway shopping complex takes place.

e-mail: john.roberts @bradford.newsquest.co.uk

MORE RETAILERS SAY KEEP ON SHOPPING IN BRADFORD
"Arthur Rigby, manager of Jack Hodgson the Florist shop, has backed the Telegraph & Argus Buy It In Bradford campaign to keep his business blooming. Mr Rigby, pictured with Sally Nettleton, said: “Anything which brings people into Bradford is a good thing and it is important that we all get behind it.” He has been trading for 35 years in Bradford, but he fears times will be tough for shops like his, which is based in Broadway, as retailers move out to make way for the state-of-the-art shopping complex due to be completed by the end of 2007. “Once the shops go what will there be for people to come here for? We need to let shoppers know we are still here on Broadway and are still open for business."	“Staff at the Designer Outlet store have joined the call for shoppers to support city centre stores. Victoria Paylor, pictured, said: “The campaign is a good idea for retailers because there are some stores in the city which are struggling. There are some young people who will go to Leeds to shop. But if you live in Bradford you don’t have to – you have it all here on your doorstep in the city.” She told the Telegraph & Argus she believed the city would become a much more popular shopping venue once the massive Broadway complex opens its doors for business. She said: “People need to have patience. Everything