Green shoots reported, while 1 in 5 shops closed down.

Graham_Devon

There was a reporter on the TV this morning (BBC), in a posh town (can't remember where it was) where 20% of their shops have been forced to close down, and are now boarded up.

This was because of a combination of crippling rents and rates, and also the general economy.

You could see quite a few shops, all with their windows painted over, and the reporter states "but the closed down Woolworths is being taken over by Sainsnurys, so we are seeing green shoots in this area".

Included in the programme was 2 people, closing down their shops too, adding to the 1 in 5 shops who have closed since the start of the credit crunch.

I had to smile.....green shoots, theres optimistic and downright laughable! Why bother going to report in a town such as that one if your going to insult them with green shoots!? Someone else must have seen it.

But I write this mainly because of the 1 in 5 shops shut down. That's a MASSIVE amount. Is anyone else seeing shut downs on a scale like this in their area?

Radiantsoul

Graham_Devon wrote: »

There was a reporter on the TV this morning (BBC), in a posh town (can't remember where it was) where 20% of their shops have been forced to close down, and are now boarded up.

This was because of a combination of crippling rents and rates, and also the general economy.

You could see quite a few shops, all with their windows painted over, and the reporter states "but the closed down Woolworths is being taken over by Sainsnurys, so we are seeing green shoots in this area".

Included in the programme was 2 people, closing down their shops too, adding to the 1 in 5 shops who have closed since the start of the credit crunch.

I had to smile.....green shoots, theres optimistic and downright laughable! Why bother going to report in a town such as that one if your going to insult them with green shoots!? Someone else must have seen it.

But I write this mainly because of the 1 in 5 shops shut down. That's a MASSIVE amount. Is anyone else seeing shut downs on a scale like this in their area?

Was that Henley-on-Thames? If so I was there a month ago and I didn't see 1-in-5 shops closed down!

baileysbattlebus

No, Reading is our nearest town, and it has seen Adams, Woolworths, Officers Club and another clothes shop but I can't remember the name, close down. Zavvi was still trading about a week ago, the last time I was there.

The usual couple of shops that open up at Xmas, selling cheap tat closed down - but they would have closed anyway.

I haven't been to Henley for ages so I couldn't comment.

But our local shopping centre has seen no closures in recent months - it has no big names though, except for Boots, Robert Dyas, Superdrug, Clinton Cards and Costa Coffee - oh and Waitrose. The rest are independants. But there is a long way to go yet.

whathavewedone

Nowhere near that amount have shut down in our town. But it had barely recovered from the last recession so already have a lot of charity shops and fast food outlets.

Quite a few beauticians, one I suspect may close down simply because it came under new management in 07 and the new owner put the prices up and just crossed out and wrote in the new prices in biro on the price lists. Classy. She now has lots of handwritten signs up in the window offering deals that are not that good really. It always seems quiet when I go past whereas the others are always busy.

Don't know if anyone is going to take over Woolies yet. I don't think we need another supermarket

chucky

Graham_Devon wrote: »

But I write this mainly because of the 1 in 5 shops shut down. That's a MASSIVE amount. Is anyone else seeing shut downs on a scale like this in their area?

no where even remotely near that amount claimed have closed around me.

don't forget the Woolworths, Zaavi etc were all living on borrowed time even before the credit crunch hit the UK.

it seems to be the more fragile and weaker business model companies who were not in a good financial state that are closing down

RetroBob

Sainsburys are the vultures picking at the corpse - not green shoots.

Conrad

We don't know too what extent the internet has bought about some of these closures.

Was in Pizza Express, Bishops Stortford on Friday evening and it was rammed. The curry house over the road was also packed.

bendix

Yes, it was Henley on Thames. Typical overblown hyperbolic tv reporting as usual.

ukcarper

I saw this morning and what struck me was an internet caf! closing down because it’s rent had been increase by I think they said 20%. But with half a dozen shops already empty I can't see what the landlord is thinking unless he already has another tenant after all 20% of nothing is nothing.

SingleSue

We have had some shops close but again no-where near the 1 in 5.

Our old Woolies looks like it is going to be turning into some sort of pound shop, we are all keeping our fingers crossed it is like the one in Ipswich rather than the cheap tat ones you can get.

Saying that, the last two Saturdays in our town have been like a ghost town...no waiting to be served, plenty of parking available, no crowds in the street...just dead.

hethmar

1 in 5? Can that be right?