Nando’s is now the only part of Regent Circus that is still trading as its neighbour, pop-up Swindon and Wiltshire Pride Hub, has confirmed a move elsewhere.
The town centre complex originally opened in stages between November 2014 and February 2015, with the chicken specialists accompanied by Ask Italian, Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Coal Grill and Bar, a large Morrisons supermarket, and a six-screen Cineworld cinema.
The £50m site built on the former Swindon College campus changed considerably in the decade that followed, as restaurants ceased trading and were replaced by others like Lamaya Lebanese Kitchen, pizza place Dough and Co, Tiffins Indian Buffet, and Korean restaurant Funky Grilla.
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Lamaya closed suddenly in July 2022, followed by Tiffins in September, Funky Grilla in November and Dough and Co in December.
Three of the original batch of businesses, including the Morrisons anchor store, closed within five years of Regent Circus opening.
More than 1,000 people signed a petition in an effort to change the supermarket bosses’ minds about the closure, but it made little difference.
The complex was sold to UK Commercial Property Trust for £40.5m in 2014, with the property investment company already owning The Parade shopping area.
However, the development was then put on the market in 2020 for a heavily discounted £24m, although no sale has been reported.
The Adver understands that real estate company Tritax Big Box REIT is now the landlord for the complex after merging with UKCPT in 2024.
A £1.5m branch of Boom Battle Bar took up a sizeable 15,000 square foot section of the retail and leisure space in October 2021 – offering axe throwing, darts, beer pong, American pool, shuffleboard, crazy golf, and regular events – but closed in May 2025.
The Cineworld stopped screening films in October 2024 after the struggling national multiplex chain carried out a restructuring plan and shut several cinemas around the UK.
On Saturday afternoon, the Pride Hub, which has been part of Regent Circus since 2022, closed ahead of a move to the first floor of the Brunel Shopping Centre on July 5.
A Swindon and Wiltshire Pride spokesperson said: “We want to thank Regent Circus for letting us have our little pride space, we have so many memories and it has been a joy to have the space, but as our charity grows bigger, so is our need for space!
“A big thank you to the Brunel Centre for having us back, we are thankful for this opportunity!”
In May, a Nando’s spokesperson told the Adver that there were no plans to close or move in the near future.