Risk-Averse Market Means This Retrofit Success Could Be A One-Off

For local residents and the millions of people who travel through one of London's busiest transport hubs each year, former department store Arding & Hobbs is a local landmark. Once synonymous with shopping in south London, the Grade II-listed building overlooking Clapham Junction station has emerged as a case study in adaptive reuse, just recognised through a 2026 RIBA National Award, with an eclectic mix of food and beverage, retail, offices, a club and a gym. But its developer worries it could be the first and last such imaginative scheme. Fresh from receiving recognition and with the final major tenant signed, Bisnow toured the revamped building...