Changes at the Guildhall.

T

Tumble weed

Well-Known Forumite
I have it on good authority that the Guildhall and Stafford is to lose another long standing shop from the town.

The combined Top Shop and Top Man store is to leave within the next few weeks.

Stock is already being transferred to neighbouring branches and they are no longer taking new deliveries of goods.

They stated the reason for the closure is they didn't want to be tied into a lease longer than a year with the Guildhall and the Guildhall owners were unwilling to budge on the tenancy agreement.


Seems madness that the Guildhall were unwilling to extend the lease temporarily , seeing as the shops almost definitely going to be left to rot now.

Another blow is , were not going to get a replacement in the new mall next year. The new store is going to feature an Arcadia Group "Outfit" store, featuring the best from all their brands. :(

Only a matter of time before O2 looks for a new high street premises, think that n Claire's are the last two real shops in there !
 
arthur

arthur

Nixon Garden Neatness
That’s bad if top shop go, they have been in the town a long time. I can remember shopping there when could fit into a size 10 clothes and that was a very very long time ago. I still go in there have a look round and reminisce
 
T

Tumble weed

Well-Known Forumite
They're pretty upfront about it, half the staff have already transfered to other locations or decided to leave the company and the shops already looking sparse . :(

Wouldn't surprise me if their other stores in town follow suit too.
 
Floss

Floss

Well-Known Forumite
Tumble weed said:
I have it on good authority that the Guildhall and Stafford is to lose another long standing shop from the town.

The combined Top Shop and Top Man store is to leave within the next few weeks.

Stock is already being transferred to neighbouring branches and they are no longer taking new deliveries of goods.

They stated the reason for the closure is they didn't want to be tied into a lease longer than a year with the Guildhall and the Guildhall owners were unwilling to budge on the tenancy agreement.


Seems madness that the Guildhall were unwilling to extend the lease temporarily , seeing as the shops almost definitely going to be left to rot now.

Another blow is , were not going to get a replacement in the new mall next year. The new store is going to feature an Arcadia Group "Outfit" store, featuring the best from all their brands. :(

Only a matter of time before O2 looks for a new high street premises, think that n Claire's are the last two real shops in there !
Click to expand...


I wondered if outfit would move into the retail park when next move into their new premises as a lot f retail parks have one
 
Jade-clothing

Jade-clothing

Well-Known Forumite
I believe the reason they don't want to tie themselves into long leases is because they are closing shops down right left and centre all over the country, Not just topshop and Topman but lots of Evans have gone too.
I think Arcadia have also sold off BHS for the princely sum of £1! BHS have been losing customers for years and I guess he's saving a lot of money not paying all that rent on those massive stores.
 
Entropy

Entropy

Well-Known Forumite
Sad for the people who work there and those that shop there.

Personally I've not bought anything from that store in 10 years.....Seem I dont fit their sizing chart or skinny, super skinny, spray on skinny and hipster skinny with extra face fuzz......
 
Wormella

Wormella

Well-Known Forumite
I'm not surprised - it didn't help that it was such a small store that it could never carry enough range to entice that many people in - I'm also not surprised there will be on Outfit in the new shopping center - it opens up a much bigger selection of clothes, while also allowing you to order online and collect from store from a range of different shops - and since people tend to spend money when they collect from store as well it's win win. It does mean i suspect the end of Wallis, Evnas and DP / Burton's in the highstreet too...
 
Lucy

Lucy

Well-Known Forumite
Was it you who suggested turning the back part of the Guildhall into one shop Wormella? This is something that seems more and more obvious to me every time I walk through; perfect for Debenhams if they are still interested in coming to Stafford.
 
Feed The Goat

Feed The Goat

Well-Known Forumite
The opening of the Riverside development will be the final nail in the coffin of the Guildhall Centre. The effect on shopping on anything north of the market square will also be massive when M&S leave their current site. The towns shopping area has become so stretched out over a massive area considering how few shops it has. Redevelopment should have happened in the current shopping area, not in the Riverside development where people will drive to, shop and then leave without visiting the rest of the dilapidated town. Surely the old co-op store and the precinct behind must be one of the most depressing street scenes you could have.
 
Wormella

Wormella

Well-Known Forumite
Lucy said:
Was it you who suggested turning the back part of the Guildhall into one shop Wormella? This is something that seems more and more obvious to me every time I walk through; perfect for Debenhams if they are still interested in coming to Stafford.
Click to expand...

I think it's been an idea that been suggested by a few people - as has the idea of bringing the market back into the main body. I suspect it will need to die entirely before it can be reborn into something marvelous and wonderful (or a Debenhams) - It has a lot of things stacked up against it -the changing nature of how people shop, and where they spend their money.

The retail makeup of Stafford is changing, and any new developments in the area will change it further, as will new housing, more people, transport etc. All you can really do is try whenever possible to spend money in the town.
 
John Marwood

John Marwood

I ♥ cryptic crosswords
Britain exists because it borrows money to exist

The economy exists because individuals borrow money to exist and businesses exists because individuals borrow money to spend on these businesses

Britain is insolvent but the lenders are still lending to Britain because its assets ( land and buildings ) have yet to be out valued by the loans.

These loans are the National Debt

The Deficit is only the increase in annual debt

So improving your house/home/status extends the life of businesses only by increasing the National Debt and therefore increases the chances of a collapse in the overall economy

Everything is connected
 
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proactive

proactive

Enjoying a drop of red.
John Marwood said:
Britain exists because it borrows money to exist

The economy exists because individuals borrow money to exist and businesses exists because individuals borrow money to spend on these businesses

Britain is insolvent but the lenders are still lending to Britain because its assets ( land and buildings ) have yet to be out valued by the loans.

These loans are the National Debt

The Deficit is only the increase in annual debt

So improving your house/home/status extends the life of businesses only by increasing the National Debt and therefore increases the chances of a collapse in the overall economy

Everything is connected
Click to expand...
In fairness to Britain, this also applies to just about every other 'developed' economy.

Still I'm sure the Dear Leader will have something to say about that when/if he gets elected next week.
 
John Marwood

John Marwood

I ♥ cryptic crosswords
proactive said:
People are stupid beyond imagination. But it is encumbent on the rest of us to bail them out of their stupidity. After all, in this world, you are either stupid or a mug.
Click to expand...

People are stupid. Yes. But we only bail them out with borrowed ( it maybe third hand but still borrowed ) money

For example: You may work in the public sector, owe nothing to anyone and feel agrieved when your taxes 'bail out' stupid people . But your salary has already been borrowed.

You may work in the private sector , owe nothing to anyone and feel agrieved when your taxes 'bail out' stupid people. But your pay has almost certainly been borrowed at some point down the line .

If the UK had to balance its books within a 12 months period we would in the main be homeless, unemployed and there would be no pensions
 
tek-monkey

tek-monkey

wanna see my snake?
Gramaisc said:
Other crashes may become available - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-34144333 .
Click to expand...

Can't they just remortgage at the rather piffling amount they borrowed 25 years ago? Surely if you got a house at 50k and its now worth 200k you have a 25% LTV and can easily get a mortgage on that? Unless you are too near retirement, in which case you were rather dumb with your choice of investment but still have £150k of equity about to be released.
 
J

JTL85

Well-Known Forumite
The TopMan/TopShop in the Guildhall is hopelessly small. It's rare that I've bought anything there because there's no incentive to visit - I know the range is small meaning they're unlikely to have what I want, or have what I do want in the size I need.

I'm not a life-long Staffordian so I don't know how long we've had the Guildhall but it seems very tired and in need of some serious investment, in particular, units with more floorspace. There's several higher-end retailers that are expanding nationally and I think, when the Riverside development is complete, Stafford might be in a position to attract them (think Fat Face, Joules, Jack Wills).
 
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