Inside the new Asian snack and drink store on Westgate Street
A new speciality food store selling snacks, drinks and sweets from across Asia has opened in Ipswich town centre, taking over the former Holland & Barrett unit on Westgate Street.
Why it matters: AsianHub's arrival on Westgate Street brings a unit back into use, offering much-needed good news for the town centre after a week when two long-standing retailers announced their departure.
The details: AsianHub opened its doors on Saturday, 22 August. Inside, the shop is stocked with imported drinks, crisps, instant noodles and sweet treats from across Asia. Shelves feature a (very) wide range of instant noodle brands, including Buldak and Mama, alongside dedicated sections for seaweed snacks, mochi and Japanese and Korean drinks.
For context: The opening comes at the end of a difficult week for Ipswich's high street. Hotel Chocolat's Tavern Street store closed permanently on 20 August after around eight years trading in the town, a day after FatFace confirmed its Buttermarket shop – open since 2008 – will close on Saturday, 5 September.
Inside Asian Hub on Westgate Street in Ipswich (Photos: Oliver Rouane-Williams/Ipswich.co.uk)
The bottom line: AsianHub's opening brings new life to a unit that had stood empty on Westgate Street, offering shoppers a wide range of Asian food and drink products just as the town centre absorbs the loss of two of its longer-standing retailers.
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