And another place closes down.

SweetCaliber

Just walked past Sherwoods Digital beside the Sony Center (which recently closed down also) and noticed the place was cleared out.

My friend worked there and she headed for work this morning to find the place was empty.

Such a shame to see another place close down around here. Not sure if all the stores have closed? Kilkenny, Clonmel?

CardBordWindow

Ah Jaysus! I used to love getting last minute presents in there!

decies

Sherwoods and Sony centre were the same people . Sad to see it go all the same.

JenniFurr

lee3155 wrote: »

Just walked past Sherwoods Digital beside the Sony Center (which recently closed down also) and noticed the place was cleared out.

My friend worked there and she headed for work this morning to find the place was empty.

Such a shame to see another place close down around here. Not sure if all the stores have closed? Kilkenny, Clonmel?

You mean they didn't even tell their employees they were closing? It's sad to see another place close but that's lousy of them.

decies

People seem to be abandoning ship these days without a care to customers or staff .

Jason Todd

Probably afraid they'd have to pay any more than what's due to the staff. Lousy is not the word for it. We could nearly have a thread stickied in here now to keep track of all the places closing down.

giles lynchwood

The Sony Center in the Westgate retail park on the Tramore rd (opp lidl) is open for all your Sony need's.

Sully

Chriky. Sherwoods has been around for a long time now, hasn't it? I always thought the reason why the Sony Center closed was because there was a global shed of jobs from the company. Plus everything in there was very expensive.

mike65

I remember when Waterford had three or four places you could buy proper consumer electronics, then the switch to "junk" quality throwaway hi-fi happened and sheds opened
elsewhere (DID, Power City).

Media999

Sherwoods had a very popular system where people would have a few euro a week come out of an account and build up for the Christmas or whatever.

Im gonna assume they pulled a runner with that cash aswell. Not a good sign when they dont even tell their employees.

SweetCaliber

JenniFurr wrote: »

lee3155 wrote: »

Just walked past Sherwoods Digital beside the Sony Center (which recently closed down also) and noticed the place was cleared out.

My friend worked there and she headed for work this morning to find the place was empty.

Such a shame to see another place close down around here. Not sure if all the stores have closed? Kilkenny, Clonmel?

You mean they didn't even tell their employees they were closing? It's sad to see another place close but that's lousy of them.

The first she heard of it was when she turned up this morning to see the place gone

Hoffmans

dunno whether or not they are honouring the diddly club but they sent out notices recently regarding a company who would be collecting for any outstanding personal hire purchase debts.

looder

I'm not surprised Sherwoods is gone. Most Bricks and Mortar electronic shops are struggling big time due to the availability of cheaper alternatives online.

An empty Sherwoods will leave a big hole on that street.

The emergence of Harvey Norman over the past few years also didn't help I'd imagine.

Dum_Dum

The march of e-commerce means city centres need to be redefined across the Western world; Waterford isn't special. If you're a town planner relying on old school retail to jazz-up your town - it's not going to happen; and you should think carefully about another career. There's plenty that city centres can do well: meeting places, social spaces (like the fora of antiquity), niche retailing, entertainment, public transport nodes etc... What's interesting is the problem of climate. Shops are, of course, sheltered because they are indoors. How about the functions listed above? How can these spaces be protected from the elements?

fricatus

Dum_Dum wrote: »

The march of e-commerce means city centres need to be redefined across the Western world; Waterford isn't special. If you're a town planner relying on old school retail to jazz-up your town - it's not going to happen; and you should think carefully about another career. There's plenty that city centres can do well: meeting places, social spaces (like the fora of antiquity), niche retailing, entertainment, public transport nodes etc... What's interesting is the problem of climate. Shops are, of course, sheltered because they are indoors. How about the functions listed above? How can these spaces be protected from the elements?

Interesting thought!

decies

Waterfords problem is a lot more complex than the rise of e-commerce that's for sure .

kneemos

Jason Todd wrote: »

Probably afraid they'd have to pay any more than what's due to the staff. Lousy is not the word for it. We could nearly have a thread stickied in here now to keep track of all the places closing down.

Afraid of a sit in...perhaps

MacGyver

lee3155 wrote: »

My friend worked there and she headed for work this morning to find the place was empty.

The employees were told on friday that they were closing. Sherwoods kilkenny, carlow and clonmel are all remaining open as far as i know. The "diddly" should be accessible in those stores although i would think people should be entitled to a refund since the store they have access to is closed. Accounts are also payable locally but im not sure where has been made public yet.

As for the sony centres, they are franchises and the one in town is run by sherwoods where as the one on the tramore road is run by Mick Daly. the one on the tramore road is no longer technically a sony centre but has sony's permission for the sign to remain in place.

libra02

lee3155 wrote: »

Just walked past Sherwoods Digital beside the Sony Center (which recently closed down also) and noticed the place was cleared out.

My friend worked there and she headed for work this morning to find the place was empty.

Such a shame to see another place close down around here. Not sure if all the stores have closed? Kilkenny, Clonmel?

Staff were told last week that the place was closing and I know for a fact there was no way they just up and left without a word to the staff so your friend seems to be telling fibs.

Such a shame to see them go as I got all my electrical products there and staff were very helpful.

Be nothing left in this town if it keeps going the way it is - city council need to start reducing rates.

AdMMM

Jaysus, I just recommended to a friend only last week that they should go to Sherwoods if they wanted to buy local. Figured if they'd weathered the storm this long that they were safe and sound!

7upfree

That's gonna leave some hole in Michael Street. Very sad indeed.

Media999

libra02 wrote: »

city council need to start reducing rates.

Rates are the least of electrical retailers problems these days. Fact they where overpriced was a huge factor.

They should have moved out of town long ago to somewhere like Superquinn and lowered prices.

Kelly and Dollard are always busy. Better prices and easier to get to.

Trick of the Tail

I gotta tell you, rates are a problem. Where my business is, the rates are nearly as much as the annual rent.

And we get nothing for that, except perhaps sewage disposal. Its a private estate so no street lights, refuse collection, pavement maintenance etc. We even have to pay water rates separately.

Still, I guess the City Council need those exorbitant rates to pay for more statues and hanging baskets, and resurfacing of roads that are already perfectly good.

As long as we have all this vanity, I guess they don't care that they're a major factor in driving businesses under.

A

SubBusted

There should be a free daily bus service around the county bringing shoppers into the city centre.

Media999

Not saying there not a problem. They obviously are.

Sherwoods had far bigger problems than Rates is all im saying. People these days want value. The best Value.

Trick of the Tail

True, but one of the reasons city centre prices are higher than the outskirts is that the rates are higher!

A

realworld82

iIt is very interesting that Sherwoods run a very profitable store in Kilkenny but a similar sized store in a bigger city could not survive.
I think the ringing of Waterford City by Tescos was the beginning of the end for retail in the city center and the closure of the likes of Sherwoods is further proof of this.

Sully

Tesco doesn't sell that much electronics compared with Sherwoods. I doubt that was their threat. You have DID, Kelly & Dollard, and Harvey Norman all eating from the same pie and offering very competitive deals to entice customers to shop with them.

Tom_Cruise

While it is sad to see it close,it was some way more expensive than some of the other electrical retailers in the city as had already been pointed out so i cant say im surprised by the news.

Its a pretty nice shop in a good location,maybe some one will try and make something of it?

realworld82

Sully wrote: »

Tesco doesn't sell that much electronics compared with Sherwoods. I doubt that was their threat. You have DID, Kelly & Dollard, and Harvey Norman all eating from the same pie and offering very competitive deals to entice customers to shop with them.

Well Tesco are selling about 120k of electronics in Waterford excluding cds and dvds which is quite a lot, as i said the strategy to ring waterford with stores is the problem for all city center retail.
Its something they have done in the uk with great results for them but as with waterford it results in empty town centers just like we have in waterford

SweetCaliber

MacGyver wrote: »

The employees were told on friday that they were closing. Sherwoods kilkenny, carlow and clonmel are all remaining open as far as i know. The "diddly" should be accessible in those stores although i would think people should be entitled to a refund since the store they have access to is closed. Accounts are also payable locally but im not sure where has been made public yet.

As for the sony centres, they are franchises and the one in town is run by sherwoods where as the one on the tramore road is run by Mick Daly. the one on the tramore road is no longer technically a sony centre but has sony's permission for the sign to remain in place.

libra02 wrote: »

Staff were told last week that the place was closing and I know for a fact there was no way they just up and left without a word to the staff so your friend seems to be telling fibs.

Such a shame to see them go as I got all my electrical products there and staff were very helpful.

Be nothing left in this town if it keeps going the way it is - city council need to start reducing rates.

Just quoting what I heard! Must double check, but still, very sad to see them go.

They do have a website, not great but works. Guess everything really is moving to the web.

7upfree

realworld82 wrote: »

iIt is very interesting that Sherwoods run a very profitable store in Kilkenny but a similar sized store in a bigger city could not survive.
I think the ringing of Waterford City by Tescos was the beginning of the end for retail in the city center and the closure of the likes of Sherwoods is further proof of this.

City Centre parking also played its part. You can park for free at HN, DID, etc.
then the hourly charge is ridiculous.

In places like Dun Laoghaire you get 15 minutes grace before and after ticket purchase - allowing shops positioned like Sherwoods to trade competitively.

MacGyver

I see your point about parking and that holds true for a lot of companies around town but Sherwood's haven't been competitive at all in the last number of years. Old products sold at silly prices was their primary downfall

It is a wonder those rip-off merchants didn't close sooner. Sorry to hear about the jobs though.

Sully

Removed posts stating a business has gone under as there is currently no proof. While they are closed, they do not appear to be 'cleared out'. There is considerable reporting on this on Facebook but none by media (and the media I asked, were unaware). Sorry!

While the business (in Tramore, not Wateford) is now confirmed as in receivership, discussion on the said business is ongoing in the County Forum!

shockwave

Its the headline story on this weeks News & Star.

Sully

shockwave wrote: »

Its the headline story on this weeks News & Star.

Different business.

jennygirl

not sure if im allowed to say this Sully -
Sherwood's have done a deal to rent their premises to Dealz - they are opening in November in Sherwoods premises
maybe better to rent a shop than to run it !

Wanderer2010

Sad news but whats a bit strange is the longevity of some businesses in Waterford, I mean who the hell shops in Kniesel Jewellers, USA Stores or Heroes these days? An expensive jewellers, a niche clothes store in a bad location and another expensive clothes shop. All those shops are around years and years and have never come even close to closing down, I know they are different shops and most of them are surviving on club accounts but when you think of all the other shops the past few yrs that have opened and closed due to the recession its bizzare that these stalwarts are still standing!

Mooley22

jennygirl wrote: »

not sure if im allowed to say this Sully -
Sherwood's have done a deal to rent their premises to Dealz - they are opening in November in Sherwoods premises
maybe better to rent a shop than to run it !

Great news that Dealz is opening and it wont be just another empty building but i dont think the other discount shops on that street will last with Dealz beside them.

notfromhere

dealz are only opening for christmas trade

xperi

Dealz, the last thing the city centre needs another tacky discount store

jennygirl

xperi wrote: »

Dealz, the last thing the city centre needs another tacky discount store

were true - like Pound City these days - but where do u get quality shops from, that are not supported!
everyone wants M&S and similar, but we do not have a 20,000 sq ft shop in city centre. if m&S arrive, more will follow. the only solution is to CPO newgate st centre and get a builder with ball (Noel Fizby i think) to build it. if anyone objects, gag them for a few months!

decies

Many business people have many other irons in the fire , have rented property , vested interests in car parks etc. Much easier to stay afloat when you have income coming in from all directions . How many times would you pass a shop and never see a sinner in it and wonder how it survives. I reckon you'd have barely a half a dozen small shops left in Waterford city if this wasn't the case . Survival of the fittest really in more ways than one .

Ledger

Sad to hear about this. I done a week's work experience there about 5 or 6 years ago. Great bunch of lads working there and great manager.

If Dealz are only going to be there for Christmas, I can't imagine how they will get rid of that building. It is absolutely ma-hoo-sive!

Feel so sorry for the people who've lost their jobs.

Ah-Watch

Can't say I'm that surprised really. They seemed very expensive to me. I used always threw an eye at their prices and often compared and they normally seemed far more expsensive and thats not even comparing them to HN. It is a pity all the same, sad to see more people out of work

stefan idiot jones

Sorry but I haven't got a clue how to post a link to the you tube video I made a couple of weeks ago. Look up Waterford City Centre Empty Shops and check it out for yourself. I spoke to Waterford News and Star yesterday and they are going to use it on their web site to coincide with this weeks headline. I am a proud Welshman who has lived in Waterford for seven years and I am appalled at the state of the city centre as much as the next person. It's time that someone whoever they may be to get a grip on the increasingly deteriorating city centre because what kind of investor or backer will plough money into an area which is so run down and shabby ? We all know the financial state that Ireland and Europe is in but we must at least tidy up things here and be a little prouder of our city than we seem to be at the moment. If anyone could link the video to this and other sites please do as just as the journalist I talked to yesterday, somebody has to get a grip of this and stop the rot.

Psychedelic

What is the point of creating such a negative video of Waterford for the whole world to see, including potential investors?

Those of us who live here know all about the empty shops, this video is not going to create more awareness of it, and it's not going to put additional pressure on the powers that be to do something about it.

There are so many factors why the shops have closed: recession, competition, rates, rent, spending is down, or the shop was just plain crap. The whole country is fcuked, you will find the same run-down empty shops in every town, though admittedly Waterford could be a bit worse off than other places.

People say the Council should reduce rates and parking fees, but it's just not as simple as that - if they were cut rates by 5% cut (out of their €18m rate base), that wouldn't do much for the shops, but would mean €900,000 lost to the Council. That would mean either they cut services, promoting the city, funding to local projects/initiatives and so on - and no doubt people would be up in arms if any of that happens. Remember also that central government funding to the Council has been cut. Source for figures: http://www.waterfordcity.ie/documents/reports/2012Budget.pdf

bradknowell

stefan idiot jones wrote: »

Sorry but I haven't got a clue how to post a link to the you tube video I made a couple of weeks ago. Look up Waterford City Centre Empty Shops and check it out for yourself. I spoke to Waterford News and Star yesterday and they are going to use it on their web site to coincide with this weeks headline. I am a proud Welshman who has lived in Waterford for seven years and I am appalled at the state of the city centre as much as the next person. It's time that someone whoever they may be to get a grip on the increasingly deteriorating city centre because what kind of investor or backer will plough money into an area which is so run down and shabby ? We all know the financial state that Ireland and Europe is in but we must at least tidy up things here and be a little prouder of our city than we seem to be at the moment. If anyone could link the video to this and other sites please do as just as the journalist I talked to yesterday, somebody has to get a grip of this and stop the rot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oX1OktbFkXw

Hmm welsh man, in waterford. Do you build motorbikes by any chance?

Bards

stefan idiot jones wrote: »

Sorry but I haven't got a clue how to post a link to the you tube video I made a couple of weeks ago. Look up Waterford City Centre Empty Shops and check it out for yourself. I spoke to Waterford News and Star yesterday and they are going to use it on their web site to coincide with this weeks headline. I am a proud Welshman who has lived in Waterford for seven years and I am appalled at the state of the city centre as much as the next person. It's time that someone whoever they may be to get a grip on the increasingly deteriorating city centre because what kind of investor or backer will plough money into an area which is so run down and shabby ? We all know the financial state that Ireland and Europe is in but we must at least tidy up things here and be a little prouder of our city than we seem to be at the moment. If anyone could link the video to this and other sites please do as just as the journalist I talked to yesterday, somebody has to get a grip of this and stop the rot.

All you have done is Give Hogan more amunition to allow Dungarvan Town Council to rule over the City, and take even more money out of the City

Max Powers

Psychedelic wrote: »

What is the point of creating such a negative video of Waterford for the whole world to see, including potential investors?

Its pathetic isnt it, the same people who complain are usually the ones who do f-all about it and spout on about continuous negative crap, do most of their shoppin on-line etc. Clearly, far too much time on their hands and too little cop-on