Today's news and rumour
News: another Seaton shop closed. I haven't seen this for myself - in Fore Street - so I won't name it until I am sure that it has happened. If it has, it won't be the last.
Rumour: overheard by a correspondent in local chemist shop: Tesco pulling out of Seaton.
Personally, I think it unlikely given the millions they have spent on buying the floodplain (!) but you never know - perhaps they have their hands so full with Ottery, Honiton and Lyme they have decided to punish us by not coming here!
posted by Anonymous @ 3:13 pm
5 Comments:
I was an unwilling listener to radio 2's Jeremy Vine show last week, there was an item on towns hit by recession etc. It would seem that, whatever the reasons, towns all over the country are suffering the decline of local high street shops. If that is so, then no superstore/shed/chain will "regenerate" anything as it would seem they aren't the cause yet are present nearly everywhere.
There is also the problem that banks are now unwilling to lend money (having lent it so profligately before) thus increasing pressure on small businesses.
It would seem that there is an opportunity to boost short stay tourism to the area...a bit of thinking out of the box from a major retailer might be a real regeneration feature.
Its looking likely that Woolworths Plc will go bust on Monday, so I guess the Seaton store will close & become yet another empty shop.
Yes, I personally have wondered how long the brand would survive after WHSmith got into trouble a few years back as I always see them in the same sort of sector.
When you look at the big stores like JLewis and M&S etc, they're struggling to make year on year growth. Next year is going to get worse, and with a possible "jam today-indigestion tomorrow" plan coming out of downing street (tax cuts now/tax rises later) it could be longer still before shops will enjoy decent returns.
Has the rumour that Tesco is pulling out got any connexion with the fact that they have taken down their signs on Harbour Road and in front of the car park?
Perhaps they are planning to move into Woolworths instead!
Please don't ask eddc for advice on this, the answer we give might not be true, or it could be if it suits us, or then again not.
Hope that makes our position clear, for now.
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