News: Rotherham town centre ASB rates halved

Daily rates of anti-social behaviour (ASB) reports have been cut in half within Rotherham town centre, say South Yorkshire Police.

In Spring 2024 Rotherham Central Neighbourhood Policing Team received rising reports of anti-social behaviour and crime in the town centre.

These worrying spates of ASB were not only affecting residents and people visiting the town centre, but also were impacting local businesses and the economy.

Rotherham Central NPT Inspector John Crapper, said: “We were receiving complaints from local businesses about shoplifting affecting viability of establishments. Spots within the town centre were attracting rising rates of ASB causing local people to not want to visit the area.

“We quickly realised that a cohesive response to tackle these issues was urgently required. We have implemented more high-visibility foot patrols which act as a deterrent to potential criminals and also provided the team opportunities to identify any prolific offenders.

“Reacting quickly and launching prompt investigations into new reports of ASB meant that no opportunities were lost to identify perpetrators and take action against them.”

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The key themes of safety and security were highlighted in the consultation for a £20m fund for the town centre. Rotherham Council committed £570,000 for 2025/26 to launch a new "Street Safe Team" focused on increasing safety in town and village centres.

Catching repeat criminals has helped reducing the rates of ASB in the town centre, but the way these offenders are handled has played a big part in reducing the amount of crime in the area.

Inspector Crapper added: “It has been important to appropriately deal with offenders on a case-by-case basis to ensure minimise the risk of re-offending. This included the use of behavioural contacts, such as Criminal Behaviour Orders and Criminal Community Protection Notices.

“We have worked with Rotherham Council, identifying offenders whose behaviour could be tackled through civil remedies and out-of-court disposals.

“Establishing regular meetings with partners has been essential to handling this problem, as well as setting up a Business Crime Reduction Partnership which has attracted over forty local businesses.

“Thank you to all the businesses, retail workers and local people who engaged with us and helped us achieve this result.

"Although it is fantastic to see these results, we will not rest on our laurels. We will continue to work proactively to target anti-social behaviour as we know just how much it affects local communities.

"Please continue to report any issues or concerns you have to us so we can properly and thoroughly investigate, identify the offenders and take appropriate action."

Images: Rotherham Central Neighbourhood Policing Team / Facebook

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News: Magna’s newly refurbished Fire Pavilion reopen

Magna Science Adventure Centre’s hands-on interactive fire zone has reopened after a full refurbishment.

The Fire Pavilion’s refit marks the end of a two-year programme of upgrades across the 24-year-old visitor attraction in Rotherham.

All four of Magna’s core exhibitions – which explore the power of earth, air, fire and water – have now been refurbished with all existing exhibits refreshed, new ones installed and updated information displays added.

Other improvements have been made to improve the visitor experience and invest in the historic former steelworks building.

The full £1.9m revamp has been part-funded by a wider investment in Rotherham’s leisure economy, backed by Government Levelling Up funding secured by Rotherham Council.

Magna Education Director Stuart Ballard said: “It’s fantastic to see young people returning to our Fire Pavilion and exploring the wonders, beauty and power of this most dramatic of elements.

“The refurbishment of Fire completes an extensive period of investment and improvement right across Magna. Our aim throughout has been to future-proof the visitor attraction, with a clear focus on delivering engaging and exciting STEM learning, accessibility and sustainability.

“We now look forward to celebrating the 25th anniversary of Magna’s opening in 2026 and to firing the imagination of many more generations of young people to come.”

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Sheffield-based Aivaf, a global leader in interactive exhibit design, fabrication and installation, has been Magna’s partner throughout its refurbishment programme and carried out the £280,000 transformation of the Fire Pavilion.

Managing Director at Aivaf, Bruce Davies, said: “We’re thrilled to bring the Fire Pavilion at Magna back to life again. Our team has pushed the boundaries of interactive design and artistry to ignite an experience that is as visually spectacular as it is educational. Visitors of all ages will leave with a new-found appreciation for the science and power of fire.”

Fire’s new exhibits include ‘Fire Snake’ where visitors can ignite a burst of gas and watch its flames swirl at speed along a clear spiral tube. Youngsters can pilot a full-size helicopter simulator to fly over forest wildfires and extinguish rampaging flames and create ever-changing patterns by moving magnets over a Ferrofluid exhibit.

The iconic Fire Tornado, a floor to ceiling whirlwind of flames, remains the zone’s most photographed selfie centrepiece. And the powerful electro-magnetic cranes are back in action. This exhibit puts young people at the controls to sort old metal cans for recycling; steel, melted down by fire, is the most recycled material on the planet.

Magna Science Adventure Centre is a landmark South Yorkshire visitor attraction and venue which attracts schools, families and groups from across the UK.

Its refurbishment has also included revamps of its reception area, café and lifts. A Changing Places toilet has been installed, and 300 fluorescent tubes in Magna’s ‘red wall’ have been replaced with low-energy alternatives to create a stunning new multi-coloured display wall.

Outside, recycled rubber has been re-purposed to make new safety flooring in the 6,500 sq ft Aqua-Tek splash park, which re-opens for May Half-Term.

Magna’s programme of works was just one project part-funded by a £20m investment in Rotherham’s leisure economy, which was secured by Rotherham Council through central government’s Levelling Up initiative. Other attractions who benefitted include Wentworth Woodhouse, Thrybergh and Rother Valley Country Parks, Maltby Learning Trust and Gulliver’s Valley. More details here.

Tickets are available online or on the door. #ManyMagnaReturns annual pass holders can visit the attraction for free as many times as they like over 12 months, after purchasing their first ticket. To gain an annual pass, pay once and then upgrade to a free pass, by filling in a form on arrival at the visitor attraction.

Magna website

Images: Magna

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News: Rotherham Pokémon store looking to level up

Expansion could be on the cards at a Pokémon-themed shop and café in Rotherham town centre.

Moving across town from the Imperial Buildings and transforming a vacant unit in The Old Town Hall in 2023, enterprising Lee Kucia has created a haven for Pokémon fans, offering cards, booster boxes, toys and graded cards. The theme continues into a Coffee House serving barista coffee, hot drinks, cake and sandwiches that also offers space for trading and playing.

Under the name, PokiLee, Lee has amassed over 11,000 subscribers on YouTube who catch him opening packs, interacting with customers and various other live streams.

Now a planning application has been approved for a potential new expansion project at PokiLee's PokiWorld, converting storage space into an amusement arcade.

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Lee explained: "Families can come to purchase Pokémon products such as packs, cards etc and then open them in the coffee house seating area. This is Unit 20- 21 where we are currently trading. This does extremely well and has customers coming in from all over the country to visit.

"[I] currently use the next door unit (18 to 19 Old Town Hall) for storage, my plan is to add double doors to access the next door unit to open a small arcade section for families to enjoy.

"As the arcade would be accessible via our store area there will be minimal machine noise as not to bother customers or other businesses and more importantly to be able to monitor who is coming in and out of the arcade (along with the many security cameras we have installed).

"The opening times of the arcade will be the same as the store, meaning the earliest opening time is 10am and the latest closing time is 6:30pm, this ensures we are not bothering any other businesses at late hours - no sound pollution or annoyances."

Approving the plans, Rotherham Council officers said that the new use would not go against local planning policies and dilute the concentration of shops in the secondary shopping frontage below 30%. They added that it would reintroduce an active shop frontage and look to make a positive contribution to the units of the Old Town Hall, not appearing out of character, or cause harm to other units in the building.

Planners concluded that the proposal would enhance the viability and vitality of Rotherham town centre.

PokiLee's PokiWorld website

Images: Pokilee's PokiWorld

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News: Australian retailer rebrands Rotherham store following acquisition

An out-of-town furniture store in Rotherham has rebranded following a multimillion pound acquisition.

Fabb Furniture at Parkgate is now operating under the Nick Scali brand - a new name to the UK but a popular store in its native Australia.

Rothbiz reported back in 2016 that AHF Furniture (Anglia Home Furnishings) was taking on a 20,000 sq ft unit at the Foundry Retail Park. AHF later rebranded to Fabb Furniture.

Last year, Nick Scali announced a deal to acquire Fabb Furniture to give it an entry into the large and attractive UK furniture market with an immediate 21 store network.

The origins date back to a family-run firm founded in the 1960's. Now a publicly listed Australian company, Nick Scali has grown to become one of Australia’s largest retailers and importers of quality furniture. It had a sales revenue of £223.8m in 2024.

Fabb Furniture was acquired for a consideration of £2 and all of the secured debt owed for £3.5m. Nick Scali paid £0.5m to exercise the option to exit the existing distribution centre arrangement and will provide a net working capital injection of up to £6m.

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Further investment has been made in the existing Fabb Furniture network to establish the Nick Scali brand in the UK pursuant to its UK growth strategy, including via store refurbishments and rebranding, establishment of a new distribution centre and new store openings. The rebranded and refurbished store network will transition to the Nick Scali product range, and leverage the company's buying power and supply chain.

Anthony Scali, CEO of Nick Scali said last year: “The acquisition of Fabb Furniture provides an opportunity to enhance our geographic diversity and scale beyond Australia and New Zealand for the first time.

"The acquisition provides us an immediate entry point into the large UK market with a 21-store network across key locations; a scaled platform to establish the Nick Scali brand and product offering in an attractive new market."

Directors identified that Fabb Furniture’s gross margin is estimated to be approximately ten percentage points lower than larger UK competitors on a like for like basis and believe it can leverage the Nick Scali buying power, combined with its supply chain and logistics capabilities, to deliver significant gross margin uplift for the UK business.

Nick Scali website

Images: Nick Scali

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