Is the High Street doomed
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Artaxerxes
Look out, he's got a gnu!
More than 17,000 chain store shops closed last year
Figures reflect the rise of online shopping and the pandemic, but the rate of closures is slowing.www.bbc.co.uk
Chain stores i presume excludes independents, cafes, other high street businesses etc
Lot of them took opportunity to go full scab till as well
ska invita
back on the other side
AnnO'Neemus
Is so vanilla
I went through Manchester Arndale recently, which I don't do that often and noticed more food places in the main square. There is a dedicated food court in another wing of the mall with lots of fast food joints, and there have been a few other food places, like cookie stalls, Thornton's (now closed), pretzel place, Gregg's, dotted around, but it seems like they're now trying to make other parts of the mall into a slightly higher end food court type place, more restaurant vibe, although even there there's a milkshake and burger bar, and more recently German style diner kebab place.As I think I've mentioned before, local high streets might get something of a boost from COVID as people get more reliant on them - some attention is finally being paid to my local one, but it's funny how, however people complain about the shitty high street, when proposals are put forward for improvement people are all 'Oh but not that, oh but parking [always bloody parking], oh cars' and I do feel a bit 'Yes, if they are going to improve the street, things are going to change'. Council is planning a 'Town square', which is basically using existing layout better but people were immediately 'What are they going to knock down? That sound like they're going to pedestrianise it [they're not planning to], they can't do that'.
Shopping malls are a really interesting case - some big developers are now literally saying they can't see them building any more in the UK in the foreseeable, which I find fascinating. I'm guessing the extension of Brent Cross shopping centre is probably off the cards. Most malls will remain, I reckon, but expect to start seeing more non-retail use in them - entertainment, offices, even possibly healthcare and civic stuff. UK is overstocked with malls, though not as insanely as the US.
They revamped the square a few years ago. They moved two escalators and plonked a 'champagne bar' between them, which was laughable. I mean, a champagne bar, in a shopping mall? You might get away with something like that in Harvey Nichols or Selfridge's, but sipping champagne between two escalators, near Wilko, Bodyshop and Build a Bear, doesn't exactly scream luxury. Needless to say, it didn't last long. But that was seemingly the start of trying to reposition that part of the mall as being food and drink.
And when I was passing through the other day, I noticed that on the level above that new not-the-food-court food zone, one of the retail units was now Laser Clinics offering laser treatments and injectables.
hash tag
Books, not bombs
Chains are all going in line of course. Surprised about fashion shops; I would really want to see something in the flesh, feel it and try it on before buying.More than 17,000 chain store shops closed last year
Figures reflect the rise of online shopping and the pandemic, but the rate of closures is slowing.www.bbc.co.uk
Chain stores i presume excludes independents, cafes, other high street businesses etc
If I remember rightly, there is a champagne bar in the very trendy shopping centre that is Westfield at Shepherds Bush.
weepiper
I fix the machines that fight climate change
HMV bucking the trend by opening a new store in Edinburgh.
www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com
HMV set to return to Edinburgh’s Princes Street with new flagship store six years after closing
If you thought the vinyl revival was just another nostalgic fad, then look away now. HMV is set for a historic return to Edinburgh’s Princes Street nearly six years after the flagship store’s closure – and the new focus will be on vinyl.
www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com
hash tag
Books, not bombs
Yet the all original Oxford St store remains empty and has done so for years nowHMV bucking the trend by opening a new store in Edinburgh.
HMV set to return to Edinburgh’s Princes Street with new flagship store six years after closing
If you thought the vinyl revival was just another nostalgic fad, then look away now. HMV is set for a historic return to Edinburgh’s Princes Street nearly six years after the flagship store’s closure – and the new focus will be on vinyl.
hash tag
Books, not bombs
Looking through the figures, the number of closures does not reflect the amount of retail space lost along with jobs. Near me, we have lost 3 large DIY places, along with loads of jobs. In their place is 1 much smaller one with much fewer staff. The shops have been flattened for flats, including many "affordable" ones.
Sasaferrato
Super Refuser!
I went into our local shopping centre last week, the first time for two years, and was saddened by the number of empty shops, some of which had been there for at least a couple of decades.
The whole way of shopping has changed though, online is huge compared to two years ago. The only thing that has increased is the number of charity shops.
The whole way of shopping has changed though, online is huge compared to two years ago. The only thing that has increased is the number of charity shops.
And bookies?
Sasaferrato
Super Refuser!
Still there. No new ones I don't think.
Doctor Carrot
Marxist Henchman
Crikey, it's shit when you're old enough to see a place change so much. I grew up round those parts. Being a child I remember the Ashley Centre as being kind of magical, especially the main stretch down past M&S (if it's still there of course) I remember Our Price being next to Waitrose, when smiths was John Menzies, although Smiths wasn't even still there last time I looked and Dickens and Jones. Spent many a Saturday afternoon being dragged round there by my mum and dad, bored out of my mind while they shopped. I even worked in the cafe upstairs in my teens. I'm surprised it lasted this long given the fate of other house of frasers. Must've been a sorry sight seeing shelves up for sale
cupid_stunt
Merry fecking Christmas.
In Worthing, the local developers who took over the former Debenhams building, that will remain retail at street level, but with flats above found it very strange when they got the keys...
Take a look inside the old Debenhams building in Worthing
Work has begun to clear out Worthing’s former Debenhams store with a view to it being transformed into luxury flats and retail space.
www.sussexexpress.co.uk
hash tag
Books, not bombs
M&S is still there. There was an HMV for a short while. There were two Waterstones, at either ends of the centre. There is still a Waterstones but now out on high st.Crikey, it's shit when you're old enough to see a place change so much. I grew up round those parts. Being a child I remember the Ashley Centre as being kind of magical, especially the main stretch down past M&S (if it's still there of course) I remember Our Price being next to Waitrose, when smiths was John Menzies, although Smiths wasn't even still there last time I looked and Dickens and Jones. Spent many a Saturday afternoon being dragged round there by my mum and dad, bored out of my mind while they shopped. I even worked in the cafe upstairs in my teens. I'm surprised it lasted this long given the fate of other house of frasers. Must've been a sorry sight seeing shelves up for sale
The fate of the H if F building is uncertain.
cupid_stunt
Merry fecking Christmas.
We've been lucky having local developers taking over both the former Debenhams and the Beales department store sites fairly quickly, and moving forward on their plans to breath new life into the sites.
Doctor Carrot
Marxist Henchman
Yeah I remember when it turned to HMV and when waterstones was up that end... It might've been called something else in the mid 90s when I worked in the clock tower cafe, which is long gone now. Cooking fry ups in a tiny kitchen for £3.50 an hour at 15 years old... Probably not legal but hey ho!
Artaxerxes
Look out, he's got a gnu!
Wfh has the potential to revive so many high streets if it’s nurtured. Imagine being able to actually go to the local butchers or cafe (open 8-4) or the local market (open once a weekday 10-2) rather than having to piss about going into and out of town and spending all weekend catching up on your chores because of work.
lazythursday
Averagely-Known Member
I think we're about to see a further downturn. Friend who runs a shop/deli (neighbourhood high st rather than town/city) has seen massive downturn in her takeover in last month, so much so that she is now expecting to close by the summer, after surviving all through the pandemic, and at times doing quite well from people working at home. She thinks it's due to the announcements about energy bills and the general vibe around cost of living crisis - people have massively reined in discretionary spending.
Cloo
Banana for scale
Yeah, sadly the cost of living crisis is going to fuck any recovery right up. An awful lot of even quite well off households (considering mortgage/rent/childcare) will lose a lot of discretionary spend and of course a lot of households won't even be able to keep their heads above water.
ska invita
back on the other side
100 pc this....recession incoming surely...credit card debt has soared this year already
what industry are you thinking of?
Cloo
Banana for scale
Retail, in that there's some investment for it. But yes, recession's going to fuck it like everything else.
ska invita
back on the other side
...aah i didnt get your meaning as i thought the conversation was going along the lines it was non-retail people buying up these spaces
Rob Ray
Weight is meaningless
Even the Hilton is hitting rock bottom: Freedom Press co-opted by … the Hilton?
Walking through my home town centre recently, which is more a precinct than a high street but same function. Pretty much everything with the shutters permanently down. Even the flats above most of them all appear to be derelict now.
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