Søstrene Grene Welwyn Garden City is open on the Howard Centre ground floor: 9am to 5.30pm Monday to Saturday, 10am to 4pm Sunday. Christmas hours and FAQs.
Updated 3 October 2026: the store opened on 25 September. Its opening hours, where it is in the centre and the Christmas trading dates are below; our original report on the opening follows.
Søstrene Grene Welwyn Garden City: opening hours and where to find it
Søstrene Grene is on the ground floor of the Howard Centre, Howardsgate, Welwyn Garden City, AL8 6HA. The centre’s store page now lists it as open, with these hours:
| Day | Opening hours |
|---|---|
| Monday to Saturday | 9am to 5.30pm |
| Sunday | 10am to 4pm |
Those match the centre’s own trading hours, and the centre says bank holidays are 10am to 4pm. (Howard Centre store page, read 3 October 2026)
Christmas. The Howard Centre has published its festive hours: late opening to 8pm on Saturday 21 November and to 7pm on Thursday 17 December, closed on Christmas Day, 10am to 4pm on 26, 27 and 28 December, and closed on New Year’s Day. The centre adds that each store’s hours may vary, so check with Søstrene Grene before a late evening trip. (Opening times)
What it sells. The Danish chain, founded in Aarhus in 1973 and still family owned, sells Scandinavian homeware, furniture, craft supplies, stationery, children’s products and seasonal decorations. The company describes its design as “ever-changing”, so the range in store rotates rather than staying fixed.
It is Hertfordshire’s second branch, not its first. Søstrene Grene opened at The Maltings in St Albans on Friday 4 September 2026, three weeks before Welwyn Garden City, with the same 9:59am opening and first-100 giveaway (St Albans Times, 13 August 2026). The chain told the trade press in July that it is aiming for 100 UK stores within a few years (Retail Gazette, 23 July 2026).
Nando’s and Carter & George are still “coming soon”. On 3 October the centre’s store pages for both carried the same announcements as in September, with no opening date for either.
Our report on the opening, 20 September
Søstrene Grene opens in the Howard Centre on Friday 25 September at 9:59am, and the centre is promising a giveaway to the first 100 people through the door.
The Danish homeware chain confirmed the date on the Howard Centre’s own what’s on page, which says the store “will officially open at the Howard Centre, Welwyn Garden City, on Friday 25th September at 9:59am”.
The centre says the opening will be marked with live classical music and a red carpet. The store will sell Scandinavian-inspired homeware, furniture, craft supplies, stationery, children’s products and everyday essentials.
It is not the only arrival. Two more tenants are confirmed by the centre, both without dates so far:
- Nando’s. The centre says it is “excited to welcome Nando’s to The Howard Centre” and asks people to watch for opening updates (announcement).
- Carter & George, a physiotherapy business co-founded by the England rugby international Jamie George, bringing physiotherapy and Reformer Pilates classes to the town (announcement).
Neither name appears anywhere in the borough’s planning register, which we searched on 20 September. That is not unusual. A change of occupier inside an existing shop or restaurant unit in the same use class does not by itself need planning permission, although illuminated signs do need advertisement consent, and none has been applied for under either name yet.
Three town centre dates in the next fortnight
The opening lands in a busy few weeks on Howardsgate, and two of the deadlines are ones residents can actually do something about.
Tuesday 23 September: the Peckers applications close for comment. The fried chicken restaurant and takeaway wants 41 Howardsgate, empty since May, and needs both a change of use and advertisement consent. We set out what is proposed in our report on the Peckers plans. Comments after that date are not guaranteed to be taken into account.
Tuesday 23 September: BID ballot papers go out. Town centre businesses start voting the same day on whether to keep the Business Improvement District for a third five-year term at 2.75% of rateable value. The ballot closes at 5pm on Thursday 29 October and the result is announced the next day. The detail is in our report on the BID ballot.
Wednesday 7 October: BT’s pavement kiosk closes for comment. BT Group plc has applied to install a Street Hub unit on the pavement outside 43 Howardsgate, with a second application for two advertisement panels on either side of it. Both were received on 18 August and are under consultation, with comments open until 7 October. The site is inside both the Welwyn Garden City Conservation Area and the town centre’s Primary Retail Core. The applications are 6/2026/1444/FULL for the unit and 6/2026/1443/ADV for the screens.
And one refusal, two days ago
Not everything on Howardsgate is going ahead. On 18 September the council refused 6/2026/1152/FULL, an application by Viewbridge Properties Ltd to add a second floor to 31A Howardsgate for three flats.
The decision notice gives a single, blunt reason. The extra storey “would fail to preserve or enhance the character and appearance of the Welwyn Garden City Conservation Area and would result in harm to the host building, a non-designated heritage asset”, and would “undermine the original design, form and proportions of the building”.
The notice also finds the flats themselves substandard: a “compromised internal layout and poor-quality living accommodation, including a residential unit that fails to meet the Nationally Described Space Standard in respect of minimum bedroom size requirements”. The council concluded the harm “is not outweighed by any public benefits”.
The application was submitted on 2 July and decided by officers rather than by committee.
What it means for you
If you are going on Friday. The Howard Centre is on Howardsgate, AL8 6HA. The giveaway is limited to the first 100 visitors, and the doors go at 9:59am rather than 10. Parking charges and the centre car park are covered on our parking in Welwyn Garden City page.
If you have a view on the Peckers plans. Tuesday is the day. Comments go through the council’s planning register under 6/2026/1384/FULL and 6/2026/1383/ADV.
If you have a view on the pavement kiosk. Comments on both BT applications are open until 7 October. The site notice for the advertisement application runs to 30 September.
If you run a business in the town centre. Your ballot paper is posted on 23 September and has to be back before 5pm on 29 October. A proxy has to be appointed by 19 October.
We follow every decision in the borough on our Welwyn Hatfield planning news page.
Frequently asked questions
Is Søstrene Grene in Welwyn Garden City open?
Yes. It opened in the Howard Centre on Friday 25 September 2026 and the centre lists it as open.
What are Søstrene Grene’s opening hours in Welwyn Garden City?
9am to 5.30pm Monday to Saturday and 10am to 4pm on Sunday, according to the Howard Centre’s store page.
Where is Søstrene Grene in the Howard Centre?
On the ground floor. The centre’s address is Howardsgate, Welwyn Garden City, AL8 6HA.
Is there another Søstrene Grene nearby?
Yes, at The Maltings in St Albans, which opened on 4 September 2026.
When does Nando’s open in the Howard Centre?
No date has been announced. As of 3 October the centre was still asking shoppers to watch for opening updates.
Sources
- Søstrene Grene store page and opening times, Howard Centre, read 3 October 2026
- Søstrene Grene store opens at The Maltings in September, St Albans Times, 13 August 2026
- Discover Søstrene Grene, Coming Soon!, Howard Centre (the announcement page has been taken down since the opening), Nando’s is coming! and Carter & George Coming Soon!, Howard Centre
- Decision notice and record for 6/2026/1152/FULL, 31A Howardsgate, Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council, refused 18 September 2026
- Welwyn Hatfield planning register records 6/2026/1444/FULL and 6/2026/1443/ADV, BT Group plc, pavement outside 43 Howardsgate
- Welwyn Hatfield planning register records 6/2026/1384/FULL and 6/2026/1383/ADV, 41 Howardsgate
- Welwyn Garden City BID Business Plan 2027 to 2032, ballot timetable, as reported in our coverage of the ballot
All sources checked on 20 September 2026; the opening hours and store pages rechecked on 3 October 2026.
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