Stafford shops opening - Turning into a boom town?

Mudgie

Well-Known Forumite
What a lot of people don't realise is that a fair portion of stuff sold at the designer outlets is made for the outlets. It is partly a marketing strategy for the companies to get people wearing their brands. For example, I have got Hugo Boss polo shirts from Terraces & some of the ones you get from the Hugo Boss outlets (for say £50) are inferior quality. One of the newspapers did a story on it a while back. They purchased a load of items from Bicester & then got the equivalent items from John Lewis & HoF etc. In nearly all cases the items from Bicester were of a lesser quality than the department stores. This proved they were manufacturing two grades of a product, one for main retail & a cheaper version for their outlets.
I've never understood the attraction of branded clothing.
 

Thehooperman

Well-Known Forumite
They are called designer villages as the outlets lean towards designer brands. They aren’t B and M and Home Bargains. Think more along the lines of Hugo Boss and Paul Smith. That sort of thing. As for being thirsty, my experience of Cheshire Oaks designer outlet is that there are lots of food and drink places. I haven’t been to Cannock yet but my assumption is that there would be at least one place selling food and drink.

I think I read a while ago that they were planning to have a Wagamamas and a Five Guys on the site. Not really my cup of tea but it's probably adequate for a quick lunch in-between shopping.

But who could possibly resist the food and drink extravaganza that is to be found in central Cannock or Hednesford after a hard day's shopping at the designer outlet?
 

Wormella

Well-Known Forumite
I think I read a while ago that they were planning to have a Wagamamas and a Five Guys on the site. .

They have both of those and a couple of coffee shops, and a couple of pop up things (we had very tasty mac and cheese when we went from a pop up vendor) enough to round off a day, but not a huge selection, but it's not a huge site.
 

c0tt0nt0p

Well-Known Forumite
I think I read a while ago that they were planning to have a Wagamamas and a Five Guys on the site. Not really my cup of tea but it's probably adequate for a quick lunch in-between shopping.

But who could possibly resist the food and drink extravaganza that is to be found in central Cannock or Hednesford after a hard day's shopping at the designer outlet?
Planning? Five Guys is already open and Wagamama will be open soon If not already. We love Wagamama as it's authentic food, less keen on five guys as it appears to be just an expensive burger and fries.
 

Thehooperman

Well-Known Forumite
Planning? Five Guys is already open and Wagamama will be open soon If not already. We love Wagamama as it's authentic food, less keen on five guys as it appears to be just an expensive burger and fries.

I did say I read it a while ago probably over 18 months so they would have "planning" at that stage.

Not sure what Wagamamas is authentic with apart from being a large British chain restaurant business but I've only ever been to one and wasn't too impressed. I do give businesses two chances so it may have just been a bad night but I just haven't had chance to go again.
 

Mudgie

Well-Known Forumite
Planning? Five Guys is already open and Wagamama will be open soon If not already. We love Wagamama as it's authentic food, less keen on five guys as it appears to be just an expensive burger and fries.
Wagamama was acquired for £559m by The Restaurant Group in October 2018, so is it any better than their Frankie & Benny's or Garfunkels ?
 

c0tt0nt0p

Well-Known Forumite
Wagamama was acquired for £559m by The Restaurant Group in October 2018, so is it any better than their Frankie & Benny's or Garfunkels ?
Frankie and Benny's went downhill when they abandoned their "Italian/American" theme and this was obvious when they moved from the Hough to Riverside and the quality divebombed. Wagamam have a fully open kitchen so you see everything being done. There's no shortcuts (from what I can see)...
 
Last edited:

Mudgie

Well-Known Forumite
Frankie and Benny's went downhill when they abandoned their "Italian/American" theme and this was obvious when they moved from the Hough to Riverside and the quality divebombed. Wanaka have a fully open kitchen so you see everything being done. There's no shortcuts (from what I can see)...
That's the phony "Italian/American" theme invented by someone in Leicester ?
 

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
I'm not hugely in tune with all these brand issues. I once had a weird conversation with someone who had announced that they were going to Frankie & Benny's for breakfast. I thought this was a little bit odd. Eventually, the breakfaster extracted my reasoning from me and was able to explain that they did actually serve things other than ice cream and were not Ben & Jerry, as they had merged into in my head...
 

Cue

Well-Known Forumite
Extinction is a part of evolution...

Speaking of: in Brum, they’ve just approved plans to basically flatten half of Digbeth, so you’re not wrong at all.

I suppose at least we don’t have have anything as extreme as a 15 year development going on though.
 

EasMid

Well-Known Forumite
The designer village is something Stafford council should have fought tooth and nail to get .
I can remember several years ago when Aldi first tried to get planning for their first store in the area at the old bus garage behind Top of the world/Couture or whatever it was called then. Part of the council objection was that they “didn’t want that kind of store in the Town centre””
Times have definitely changed.
 

Wormella

Well-Known Forumite
Speaking of: in Brum, they’ve just approved plans to basically flatten half of Digbeth, so you’re not wrong at all.

I suppose at least we don’t have have anything as extreme as a 15 year development going on though.

You mean Like the fabled Stafford Gateway Masterplan around the station?
 
Last edited:

Mudgie

Well-Known Forumite
I'm not hugely in tune with all these brand issues. I once had a weird conversation with someone who had announced that they were going to Frankie & Benny's for breakfast. I thought this was a little bit odd. Eventually, the breakfaster extracted my reasoning from me and was able to explain that they did actually serve things other than ice cream and were not Ben & Jerry, as they had merged into in my head...
That's not quite as ridiculous as someone I know mentioning Nellies ( White Horse, Beverley ) when he meant Betties of Harrogate.
 

Mudgie

Well-Known Forumite
Speaking of: in Brum, they’ve just approved plans to basically flatten half of Digbeth, so you’re not wrong at all.

I suppose at least we don’t have have anything as extreme as a 15 year development going on though.
Quite a bit of Digbeth that's listed - e.g, the Woodman, the Anchor and the White Swan - so they'll have to make sure they don't flatten the wrong half.
And there're extending the tram to somewhere that's flattened.
 

Mudgie

Well-Known Forumite
I can remember several years ago when Aldi first tried to get planning for their first store in the area at the old bus garage behind Top of the world/Couture or whatever it was called then. Part of the council objection was that they “didn’t want that kind of store in the Town centre””
Times have definitely changed.
So that's where the Yard is now ?
And another unit even less accessible that's never been used ?
 
Top