M&S Accrington

[accyman]

Originally Posted by Neil

Call it all you want but M&S is the only thing keeping the Arndale open. They were the Arndale's proof that big name shops were viable in Accrington. When it goes it won't be long before the Arndale closes.

arndale shouldnt have been using m&s as an example all the arndale did was build right onto the side of M&S it was there way before the arndale

the arndale claiming m&s as its proof is like me sticking a shed onto the side of buckingham palace and claiming im royalty

[hyndburner]

"Coun Clare Cleary, chair of the Accrington Town Team, said: "This has come as a real surprise to me. It's a flagship store in the town and a good employer."

Really? The surprise is that M&S stayed in Accrington for so long, when everything around them was failing. I remember thinking 25 years ago 'What is a store like M&S doing in a small town like this?

An M&S spokesman said: “We have given the closure of our Accrington store a great deal of consideration and it is not a decision that we have taken lightly. "The new store in Rawtenstall will offer a much bigger M&S food offer and an improved shopping experience and free parking."

Has anybody at Hyndburn ever spoken to M&S to discuss providing more space and "an improved shopping experience" in the borough?

If not, why not? Seems the Council is reaping what it sows.

[lancsdave]

Originally Posted by Neil

How long did that last?

Until the free rent ran out ?

Originally Posted by Mick

Yep Dave is moving Giftprint into the empty M&S store
It will be Giftprint superstore

Originally Posted by Neil

Might not be as daft an idea as it sounds Mick. It works at Ossy Mills. The Arndale could use Ossy Mills as a model and move some of the smaller shops into the one bigger shop. Would probably increase footfall for many of them and could reduce shop owners overheads.

Obviously there will be pro's and con's like with everything

It would be a good idea, but doubt anyone can make it happen. Not sure the council would be too keen on it, effectively creating another indoor market, but for retail establishments

[Neil]

Originally Posted by maxthecollie

I,m sure our fantastic Clowncil can magic money to buy the Arndale, after all they magiced money for the new not needed bus station.

HBC have nothing to with the bus station, it's building or the financing of it. It's LCC and Pennine Reach.

All you do by writing inaccurate posts like this is make people oppose HBC even more - or was that your intention?

[yerself]

Originally Posted by Neil

HBC have nothing to with the bus station, it's building or the financing of it. It's LCC and Pennine Reach.

They used to have before they flogged it off.

Report to: Cabinet
Date: 14th September 2011
Portfolio: Resources
Report Author: Ian Hoole, Corporate Property Manager
Title of Report: Proposed Bus Station, Crawshaw Street, Accrington

2. Recommendations
2.1 It is recommended that Cabinet agrees to dispose of the Council’s interest in land at
Crawshaw Street, Accrington for the purpose of constructing a new bus station on
terms to be agreed by the Executive Director (Resources) following consultation with
the relevant Portfolio Holder and notes that the Leader of the Council will be asked to
delegate authority to the Executive Director (Resources) for this purpose.

Originally Posted by Neil

All you do by writing inaccurate posts like this is make people oppose HBC even more - or was that your intention?

If you can't baffle 'em wi' brains baffle 'em wi' bullsh1t

[Neil]

It would have been embarrassing for HBC if LCC had served them with a compulsory purchase notice or whatever they are called. I do think HBC had no choice but safe face by going along with the whole barmy scheme

[Guinness]

Originally Posted by Neil

What are you people on about when you moan about Accringtons tiny almost pedestrianised bit, it must be one of the easiest towns to drive around. Have you been to Blackburn? Try and get near the shops in your car. Burnley is the same and they are both doing well. We have more free parking than anywhere I can think of and it's so handy and close to the shops.

Point is they intend to expand the pedestrianised area...many traders think this will lose them business, try asking around or at the very least doing some research..people do not like carrying their shopping around...they want to dump it in the boot and shop some more. Neither Blackburn nor Burnley markets are doing 'well'..their satellite retail parks are doing good business, and thanks to HBC destroying Whitebirk, so is the Mall in Blackburn, and shortly so will a certain retail park in Rawtenstall..

Plans approved for controversial Accrington bus station scheme - Accrington Observer

Originally Posted by Neil

HBC have nothing to with the bus station, it's building or the financing of it. It's LCC and Pennine Reach.

So does this mean that HBC are totally impotent when faced with the might of LCC?..Whats the point of voting for impotent councillors?

Originally Posted by Neil

It would have been embarrassing for HBC if LCC had served them with a compulsory purchase notice or whatever they are called. I do think HBC had no choice but safe face by going along with the whole barmy scheme

Despite all your hard work over numerous years, LCC decide that Rhyddings Park would be an ideal centralised industrial estate.....wanna save face Neil?

[Accyexplorer]

For anyone wanting to try an keep Accrington's "high street alive"

https://www.change.org/p/m-s-change-...crington-store

Good luck with that

[smobile]

Homebase going too by all accounts.

http://www.accringtonobserver.co.uk/...arebar_twitter

[Less]

I've decided I have no sympathy for M&S, if they can no longer afford to trade in Accrington it is obviously their own fault.

Had their decision makers actually taken a walk through our town centre over the past few decades they would have seen that the only route to follow would have been diversification. No longer do we need quality products at a reasonable price when we can get complete sets of cutlery, tool kits, toffees and various other low quality items for just a pound, they would soon have realised that because of the low, low prices once we got these items home we didn't get upset when these items broke after using them the first time, we'd just chuck them in the bin and make a note to pick up another one next time in town.

Perhaps they are pulling the plug because of other factors such as rising cost of wages or the inevitable strangling increases of business tax?

Again I say, take a look around you Mr. M&S, do what the shops that have cornered the clothing market of Accrington have done, yes, that's right declare yourself a charity, No Business tax and no wages bill because you will be staffed by volunteers.

Maybe, just maybe, if you have really good accountants you could even get yourself written off as a tax loss if you continue to supply clothing and food of the quality you are doing just re-name yourself as:-

M&S Accrington's Largest Food And Clothing Bank.

[hyndburner]

Originally Posted by smobile

Homebase going too by all accounts.

Presumably when Poundland announce they are quitting Accrington, it's time to give up

[Neil]

Originally Posted by Guinness

Point is they intend to expand the pedestrianised area...many traders think this will lose them business, try asking around or at the very least doing some research..people do not like carrying their shopping around...they want to dump it in the boot and shop some more. Neither Blackburn nor Burnley markets are doing 'well'..their satellite retail parks are doing good business, and thanks to HBC destroying Whitebirk, so is the Mall in Blackburn, and shortly so will a certain retail park in Rawtenstall..

Plans approved for controversial Accrington bus station scheme - Accrington Observer

What does all that tell you? It tells me that the majority of people don't want markets anymore for their main shopping. Only the few that do moan about them being rubbish now.

Originally Posted by Guinness

So does this mean that HBC are totally impotent when faced with the might of LCC?..Whats the point of voting for impotent councillors?

When it comes to roads yes, HBC have little or no say. You need to speak with your LCC councillor. All part of the our 2 or 3 tier local government

Originally Posted by Guinness

Despite all your hard work over numerous years, LCC decide that Rhyddings Park would be an ideal centralised industrial estate.....wanna save face Neil?

Most parks in Hyndburn are protected from being built on but never say never. It would be good if LCC took a bit more interest in our parks and put some more money in, after all LCC get the biggest chunk of our council tax to play with

[accyman]

Originally Posted by Neil

It would be good if LCC took a bit more interest in our parks

it would be nice if LCC took some interest in road surface conditions and road safety as well neil but it aint ever gonna happen they simply dont give a crap

[Less]

Here's another thought, just suppose one of our serving Councillor's or perhaps a locally based MP was to follow up on this idea of M&S leaving the area?

Perhaps this is part of a plan?

M&S perhaps don't want to leave the town but, costs to the council are too much, now obviously there can be no favouritism in commerce, (yeah right), so an announcement goes out, shock horror and surprise from the public face of the town trading councillor then a sudden super hero steps forward, stop, decease, says he or she, this is silly we can work it out, M&S are then granted one off never to be repeated concessions, the politician involved is shown to be the hero of the people in a very important year for votes and thus gets publicity and browny points what would we end up with?

The same old M&S and the same old politician, after all whoever gets to keep M&S, from whatever party would be treated well in the press.

I don't mind keeping M&S BUT if this fantasy even comes remotely true, lets not be fooled into keeping the same old politician/s!

Can't Happen?

Won't Happen?

Hasn't someone already mentioned what happened with the old Woolworths site?

Nah, your right, couldn't happen again M&S aren't a local influential family firm.

[Lucysgirl]

I can more or less pinpoint Spring 1999 when they stocked the women's section with black clothes as the year I stopped regularly entering M&S. I thought it had been on the whim of the manager so drove to Blackburn and was met with a massive wall to wall sea of black - very impressive if you're not wanting to reflect the colours and joys of burgeoning Spring. I notice their new store will only be selling food. The penny must have dropped that nobody is willing to pay more expensive M&S prices for exactly the same foreign imported clothes stocked in neighbouring shops.

If anyone has seen an arrow on a signpost on any Accrington Road with the words "Town Centre" or "Shopping Centre" you've got better eyesight than me. All County Council Highway Departments have got more say on local roads than the people who have to use them. I'm sure the LCC are really pleased with themselves that their blueprint for the runoff traffic from the M65 to flow freely through Accrington via Eastgate and Burnley Road without being tempted to stop at any shop window display has been so successful.

On the face of it, it doesn't seem that any town councillor in the last 4 decades has had any business acument because all they've done is kill off what was once quite a successful little market town.