Shopping Centres
I have not really seen much of the world or the UK to that matter and through circumstances remained in the same area.
The only differences to my town are in that it has spread out and new houses seem to be being continually built.
The centre of the town has changed very little and like so many towns nationwide the choice of shops has dwindled and become a mixture of estate agents, solicitors, insurance sellers, charity shops, banks, building societies, takeaways.
We have in recent years managed to attract a few new additions but though competition can be good and should encouraged it has resulted in retailers selling the same products deciding not to(you can see why)seven outlets offering greetings cards at my last count. And the longest surviving card shop is closing. You do wonder why as it has the largest choice and many are produced by the same manufacturer as in the other shops.
And though we do have both men and women living here there are three shops that sell Women's clothing but only one of those offers a small corner with a small limited choice for men. And that is aimed at the teenager/young adult.
We no longer have a shoe repairer and unless you know that the Dry Cleaners offer a collection service for repairs...you may as well say that there isn't one. Our largest shoe shop closed a couple of years ago and now there is one that carries very little to choose from(I'm surprised that it stays in business whenever I pass it always seems empty)
My memories can go back to many shops that were locally run and some national retailers that have long since ceased trading or were taken over even if they later decided to close their branches in this town.
Anyone remember March The Tailors, Timothy Whites, Carricks The Bakers?
Another bakers closed last year and our branch of Greggs has reduced in size and also reduced the amount of staff that worked there.
After years and years of being promised that the shopping centre would be brought up to some kind of modern standard and that new retailers would tempted into the town, it has split into two.
Two schools were closed down a few streets from me perhaps 20 years ago, demolished and then it remained as a piece of unused land for all that time.
In the last three years or so that was turned over to a large Supermarket(I think you can guess who)I'm led to believe by the publicity that has been given in local publications, it was to be built in a style to be in keeping with the area but worried that the project may not happen it was put up in double quick time and seems to have been put together using a lot of corrugated metal.
And it stands out like a sore thumb. I have yet to hear anyone say that they like its design and when you come into the town from the main road, it commands your immediate attention.
It was also supposed to have access to a taxi rank and this was marked in the plans but once built that somehow disappeared. And though the taxi firms have campaigned and disabled/elderly people have asked that one be allowed so far its not looking likely.
Extra jobs were promised and retail outlets were built to bring in extra business.
And what happened? A small Argos store arrived and the rest of the new section was given over to office space which if it is being used I have no idea by whom(it could still be empty, it looks as though it is)
Who has occupied the remaining units?
An optician and solicitor originally based in the older part of the town believing that the extra trade was coming and that their building would be demolished all they did was relocate.
The final space was taken by another mover...who took the largest of all these units and has a really posh looking interior(I did hear what the rents/leases but have forgotten)but they are extremely expensive(that's why so few were occupied in the first place)
Who secured it? None other than "The Job Centre"
So now the new supermarket has affected the older part of the retail area, the businesses are struggling and people are either shopping in the newer part of town or the surrounding towns which is fine if you have access to a car.
And the only alternative supermarket that has been here for 46 years has now closed and that was helping to keep the older part of the town viable.
The only hope being that some of the other well known supermarkets may be showing an interest in moving in to the empty premises but compared to the new Supermarket, it will be smaller so more like a convenience store but for many shoppers that is large enough as it will keep the older part of the town alive and it means easier access and less confusion for elderly shoppers and less distance to travel.
The rejuvenation of the shopping area was to include the new area being joined up to the older part, the older part being cosmetically improved and hopefully some new shops being attracted.
But for now as often happens the project is a third completed and come to standstill though there could be lots of meetings taking place that the public are unaware of between local authorities, building contractors, businesses etc...
The big problem was that for many, many years retailers refused to stay or start businesses because though at the time it was a small town in the North East of the UK the shopping area was owned or acquired by a London firm.
And they charged London rates. Which were far too expensive for this area and for the amount of business they managed to generate.
It has been said that some kind of deal was reached when the new plans were finalised after years of negotiations and now the ownership has changed or the rates have been reduced.
I have heard quite a few people say that they would like the older shopping area knocked down and rebuilt from scratch and looking at it and seeing how little bits have been added here and there I can understand why.
It was all single storey units perhaps thirty years ago and then someone decided to build on top of the existing retail units to bring extra business and choice into the town.
The buildings are crumbling, practically every upper floor unit is empty/boarded up and even if you could attract new business because some the older town will have to be pulled down so they can join both halves, who is going to come in for an unknown amount of time.
One local man who always wanted to own a pet shop opened up in one of the vacant to be demolished retail units to guage if there would be a demand with the idea of doing so more perminantly when things start to move again(being allowed to do suggests that its going to be some time otherwise it was not worth moving in)
He does not sell pets(animals or birds)but owns a Parrot. He decided to use it as a promotional gimmick I guess as all children like to see an animal. After some weeks he was even stopped from doing that because of some clause in the agreement between retailers and the owners of the shopping centre. Either it had to go or the shop ceases trading.
There is another pet shop on the town and the last time I did go there or went past I am sure that it still sells rabbits, hamsters, fish etc... So whether this is a new clause that affects new businesses only, I don't know.
I'm sure that many of you have similar tales to the above.
The only differences to my town are in that it has spread out and new houses seem to be being continually built.
The centre of the town has changed very little and like so many towns nationwide the choice of shops has dwindled and become a mixture of estate agents, solicitors, insurance sellers, charity shops, banks, building societies, takeaways.
We have in recent years managed to attract a few new additions but though competition can be good and should encouraged it has resulted in retailers selling the same products deciding not to(you can see why)seven outlets offering greetings cards at my last count. And the longest surviving card shop is closing. You do wonder why as it has the largest choice and many are produced by the same manufacturer as in the other shops.
And though we do have both men and women living here there are three shops that sell Women's clothing but only one of those offers a small corner with a small limited choice for men. And that is aimed at the teenager/young adult.
We no longer have a shoe repairer and unless you know that the Dry Cleaners offer a collection service for repairs...you may as well say that there isn't one. Our largest shoe shop closed a couple of years ago and now there is one that carries very little to choose from(I'm surprised that it stays in business whenever I pass it always seems empty)
My memories can go back to many shops that were locally run and some national retailers that have long since ceased trading or were taken over even if they later decided to close their branches in this town.
Anyone remember March The Tailors, Timothy Whites, Carricks The Bakers?
Another bakers closed last year and our branch of Greggs has reduced in size and also reduced the amount of staff that worked there.
After years and years of being promised that the shopping centre would be brought up to some kind of modern standard and that new retailers would tempted into the town, it has split into two.
Two schools were closed down a few streets from me perhaps 20 years ago, demolished and then it remained as a piece of unused land for all that time.
In the last three years or so that was turned over to a large Supermarket(I think you can guess who)I'm led to believe by the publicity that has been given in local publications, it was to be built in a style to be in keeping with the area but worried that the project may not happen it was put up in double quick time and seems to have been put together using a lot of corrugated metal.
And it stands out like a sore thumb. I have yet to hear anyone say that they like its design and when you come into the town from the main road, it commands your immediate attention.
It was also supposed to have access to a taxi rank and this was marked in the plans but once built that somehow disappeared. And though the taxi firms have campaigned and disabled/elderly people have asked that one be allowed so far its not looking likely.
Extra jobs were promised and retail outlets were built to bring in extra business.
And what happened? A small Argos store arrived and the rest of the new section was given over to office space which if it is being used I have no idea by whom(it could still be empty, it looks as though it is)
Who has occupied the remaining units?
An optician and solicitor originally based in the older part of the town believing that the extra trade was coming and that their building would be demolished all they did was relocate.
The final space was taken by another mover...who took the largest of all these units and has a really posh looking interior(I did hear what the rents/leases but have forgotten)but they are extremely expensive(that's why so few were occupied in the first place)
Who secured it? None other than "The Job Centre"
So now the new supermarket has affected the older part of the retail area, the businesses are struggling and people are either shopping in the newer part of town or the surrounding towns which is fine if you have access to a car.
And the only alternative supermarket that has been here for 46 years has now closed and that was helping to keep the older part of the town viable.
The only hope being that some of the other well known supermarkets may be showing an interest in moving in to the empty premises but compared to the new Supermarket, it will be smaller so more like a convenience store but for many shoppers that is large enough as it will keep the older part of the town alive and it means easier access and less confusion for elderly shoppers and less distance to travel.
The rejuvenation of the shopping area was to include the new area being joined up to the older part, the older part being cosmetically improved and hopefully some new shops being attracted.
But for now as often happens the project is a third completed and come to standstill though there could be lots of meetings taking place that the public are unaware of between local authorities, building contractors, businesses etc...
The big problem was that for many, many years retailers refused to stay or start businesses because though at the time it was a small town in the North East of the UK the shopping area was owned or acquired by a London firm.
And they charged London rates. Which were far too expensive for this area and for the amount of business they managed to generate.
It has been said that some kind of deal was reached when the new plans were finalised after years of negotiations and now the ownership has changed or the rates have been reduced.
I have heard quite a few people say that they would like the older shopping area knocked down and rebuilt from scratch and looking at it and seeing how little bits have been added here and there I can understand why.
It was all single storey units perhaps thirty years ago and then someone decided to build on top of the existing retail units to bring extra business and choice into the town.
The buildings are crumbling, practically every upper floor unit is empty/boarded up and even if you could attract new business because some the older town will have to be pulled down so they can join both halves, who is going to come in for an unknown amount of time.
One local man who always wanted to own a pet shop opened up in one of the vacant to be demolished retail units to guage if there would be a demand with the idea of doing so more perminantly when things start to move again(being allowed to do suggests that its going to be some time otherwise it was not worth moving in)
He does not sell pets(animals or birds)but owns a Parrot. He decided to use it as a promotional gimmick I guess as all children like to see an animal. After some weeks he was even stopped from doing that because of some clause in the agreement between retailers and the owners of the shopping centre. Either it had to go or the shop ceases trading.
There is another pet shop on the town and the last time I did go there or went past I am sure that it still sells rabbits, hamsters, fish etc... So whether this is a new clause that affects new businesses only, I don't know.
I'm sure that many of you have similar tales to the above.
posted by The Great Gildersleeve | 4:14 pm
13 Comments:
Sounds much the same as the place I grew up in Gildy.
When I was a small child the place was still a village in the conventional sense and for anyone who lived on the outer edges, 'going to the village' was something everyone did for their shopping needs.
It was truly lovely and I have the photographs to prove it. There were even a couple of thatched shops. I recall that the 'supermarket' was a George Mason outlet but apart from that there was every service you could require including four banks, two estate agents, three butchers, a bakers, fishmongers, ironmongers, couple of newsagents and a booksellers, dry cleaners, couple of cobblers and so on.
In the seventies the village underwent redevelopment and modernisation. This consisted of clearing all the old shops, thatched too and then building a horribly nondescript shopping centre, which is still there.
Again like your town, it is owned by a London based property company that has in recent times managed to get rid of every independent retailer by increasing the rents by over 200% in 12 months. My mother cannot even buy fresh fruit and vegetables there now unless she makes the dreaded visit to Morrisons, something I consider a fate worse than death.
The problem is that we have nobody but ourselves to blame. We elect the councillors that allow the building plans and redevelopments etc to go through. We chose to spend out money at large supermarkets instead of independent retailers. Of course by we I mean society as a whole because not all of us do.
Sad but a fact of life and only likely to continue in much the same direction.
Oh dear, I feel really guilty reading your messages. Apart from 10 years when we moved around some hell holes with the RAF, I've been fairly lucky where I've lived.
I wish I could whisk you away ,Gildy, and plonk you somewhere nicer !
But all I can do is be a friend.
Hope your Mum is coping Mags, I know what a rough time your family is going through.
Seems the whole country is now like that! I grew up in a London Suburb so the 'high Street has survived somewhat but the somerset town where I last lived (having moved out from Bristol) is exactly as you describe Gildy, with the exception and addition of mobile phone shops - they seem to breed.
Have answered you on my blog re your links etc and expalined how you can see to get it right...need to try to get it back the way it was first and then make the changes
There's a marked lack of links here...you're not really trying Gildy, are you? :-)
There's a distinct lack of blog enteries too ;-)
I've a few ideas going around my head what to write next...
Yes, the links(hmmm...)maybe we'll really give it a go this Bank Holiday Weekend. I think that I have found the right area to place them which is something.
What will push me to go broadband? I try to squeeze so much into so little online time. I could do with more than 24 hours in a day.
Oh, yes...and if that's not enough there is a Birthday coming up on Tuesday. I keep trying to stop 'em coming but they still keep arriving. And every year they seem to arrive sooner.
Oh well, I have had an extra 9 years to what I thought that I may back in 1997.
I'll see if I can get sorted in the next day or two...I appreciate the encouragement ;-)
G
If the MB's stay down Gildy, we'll have to resort to talking to each other on the blogs !
Happy Birthday Gildy.
re Links Gily. In your template scroll down (quite a long way) to where it says < ! - -
< p > This is a paragraph of text that could go in the sidebar.< / p > - ->
Remove < ! - - at the beginning and - -> at the end as these are what are called comment tags because anything that is written in between them is just a comment to anyone reading the code not a piece of actual code itself.
If you repost it like that the text between < p > (which means start new paragraph) and < / p > (which means end new paragraph) will show up on your blog as text saying (surprise surprise) "This is a paragraph of text that could go in the sidebar."
You can replace that text (inside the paragraph tags) with links by inserting this which will show up as "Gavin Corder" and link to my blog opening in a new window:
< li > < a href = "http://gavincorder.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Gavin Corder< / a > < / li >
Then you can do another one below for the others. I have inserted a space between the symbols here because if I don't the code will go "live" and appear like this:
Gavin Corder
So remove the spaces (except the one paradoxically between a and href which is supposed to be there) and Bob's your mother's brother.
Good luck!
Oh sorry that's Gildy not Gily. I tried so hard with the code, I overlooked the obvious. Apols.
Gavin you really are a trollop! Why not try another link that doesn't mention you! ;-)
I say this having just read the same link on Augustus' blog...hussy!...actually I shouldn't say that, the Hussy's are family.
Many towns centres of gravity seem to move over the years and I think this has always been the case. Taking a large town like Reading as an example the thing that always interests me are the amount of people who are willing to go it alone in retail coupled with the amount of banking institutions that are prepared to throw money at them. As for Tesco et al they have been a disaster for our small shopkeepers but i really don't see an alternative the way society has developed. Deeply depressing all in all. Wot's all this about the boards closing then? Are Five Live giving up the ghost?
Gavin,
Thanks for the information, I'm going to digest this and get the mystery solved. Between you and Span I'll succeed with the adding of links ;-)
You've perhaps heard I plan to go Broadband(if a slight health problem(not mine)means that money will be tight)if not I'll sign up ASAP.
Augustus my only knowledge of Reading was that if I took the direct train journey to Bournemouth from Darlington instead of taking two trains(one to London X-Cross then from Waterloo to Bournemouth)it always used to pull in to Reading station and then go back out of the station the way it arrived.
Tesco's has really been a success story and yet created so many adverse feelings for many.
There is a similar situation happening in Curmy's area at the minute too.
I have written a very long blog entry but I'll save it and decide whether to post it later its all about neighbours doing DIY :-)
But I'm sure that I can think something else to write for now...
Friends...don't be surprised if I ask for some advice about setting up a wireless broadband connection. But my questions will hopefully be quite simple and easier to answer than the links carry on...
I've just realised that I do not have any dates showing where comments have been posted just times...now what's happened there?
Another mystery to solve ;-)
Anthony
Problem solved! Great work!
Trollop yourself Span! Let it not be forgotten, who taught YOU!!!!!!
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