Waterford Statistics and Ideas

Finnbar01

Let's face it folks, the high street is going the way of the Dodo. It is much more easier now than ever to shop online, usually have a greater selection to choose from and cheaper too.

Do you remember the corner shops? In my area we had about five, now we don't even have one. How the death of the high street will affect us culturally and what will replace it, will be a very interesting social development.

kuang1

Teleportation!
Same way our tv and internet arrives via underground cables...so will our food/clothes!
Can't wait.

(either that or the mother planet will send out their colonising force to earth and we'll all be enslaved...in which case it won't really matter.:()

SubBusted

Finnbar01 wrote: »

Let's face it folks, the high street is going the way of the Dodo. It is much more easier now than ever to shop online, usually have a greater selection to choose from and cheaper too.

Do you remember the corner shops? In my area we had about five, now we don't even have one. How the death of the high street will affect us culturally and what will replace it, will be a very interesting social development.

Big shopping centres have killed off the corner shop as much as the internet has.

Finnbar01

SubBusted wrote: »

Big shopping centres have killed off the corner shop as much as the internet has.

Yes that is true, along with minimum wage and extra red tape.

Anyways, a lot of those shops in those shopping centers will also come under threat over the coming years because of the internet.

Daffodil.d

Finnbar01 wrote: »

Yes that is true, along with minimum wage and extra red tape.

Anyways, a lot of those shops in those shopping centers will also come under threat over the coming years because of the internet.

The internet definitely has a big affect no the high streets however I would love to know the stats on the amount of people who won't buy online for example people who are a bit computer phobic and people.-like me who like feeling clothes (lol) and fitting them on, then goin for a coffee and getting home with bags in hand with no waiting period etc. That's not to say I dont internet shop but only when there's better value. I think the travel industry and the music shops shops(look at hmv) are becoming obsolete but I actually dont think it's possible for the fashion industry to become completely obsolete. If local businesses didn't have such(allegedly) high overheads they could be more competitive.

wellboytoo

Argus made an announcement sometime ago that it was closing ? I think 20 as their business was moving online but no announcement yet on what shops.
I hear tbere are plans afoot to roof high street with the canvas type sails or such.with the old sorting office and yard adjacent big potential for a market?

jebus84

whats the unemployment rate in Waterford now?

14handicap

Not being negative but it wont change for a number of reasons.
Just to say I had a shop in the city for over 5 years in the early 2000's and done ok but moved into something else that worked out better for me.

I would never consider opening a shop again as there is too many factors against it ever succeeding.
Before you open your door on a Monday morning you have rent, rates, electricity, staff, vat, duty, parking, telephone so unless you are selling something that it s**t hot you don't stand a chance.
Plus all business in the next 20yrs is moving away from high street shopping and more and more online.
If you have a online store you only have your computer and 40euro a month internet weekly expenses and some storage if you don't have it at home.

I don't think that the population of Waterford is big enough to support a city centre like in the good old days when we all had loads of money.

The only thing that could help is if the city got a M&S and Zara, etc. but they will all want to open outside the city where they can offer free parking.

Oh one major thing that would help (but will never happen due to our planning system and lack of vision is turn the current car parking on the Quay into riverside shops and cafe's,, restaurants, bars but then you also have to clean up the other side of the river as that it a complete eye-sore.

If you had someone with enough vision and funding create a tourist attraction up at the old ardree that tourists have to see if they visit Ireland like the Guinness Storehouse or an iconic statue or building that is 300-400ft high then you have some chance but this will never happen as some idiot will object on some planning ground and it would also take 5yrs to go through the process and then submission after submission.

Imagine something like the Eiffel tower (not that expensive to construct in the large scheme of the future of the city for the next 40yrs). Do you know anyone that has gone to Paris and not visited the Eiffel tower? this one construction would transform our City and tourism as every tourist has money to spend and its ALL inward investment into our local economy. They all stay, eat, shop, drink in the city for at least a day, now multiply that by 1million visitors a year that would all spend approx. 100euro each...!!! its a no brainer.

gw80

iv said it before but ill say it again, maybe its time to forget the old model of the city center.
Be the first to kick the trend and stop flogging a dead horse.
develop the city center for recreation and tourism and only support businesses that are complementary to recreation and tourism ie, coffe shops, restaurants,cinemas, pubs nightclubs, and so on,

Develop the north quays by relocating the train station in there and docking for liners, a foot bridge from there over to city center,
Maybe a leasure center and hotel where ardri was with cable cars over and back to the town, To hell with it go mad, build an indoor ski slope up on the hill to further compliment the cable cars,

My point is, the death of the city center as we know it is going to happen with online purchasing getting more popular, but we dont have to look at it as a bad thing, The sooner we start planning for it the less painfull it will be,and who knows we might even be looked at with envy by other towns.

Max Powers

gw80 wrote: »

iv said it before but ill say it again, maybe its time to forget the old model of the city center.
Be the first to kick the trend and stop flogging a dead horse.
develop the city center for recreation and tourism and only support businesses that are complementary to recreation and tourism ie, coffe shops, restaurants,cinemas, pubs nightclubs, and so on,

Develop the north quays by relocating the train station in there and docking for liners, a foot bridge from there over to city center,
Maybe a leasure center and hotel where ardri was with cable cars over and back to the town, To hell with it go mad, build an indoor ski slope up on the hill to further compliment the cable cars,

My point is, the death of the city center as we know it is going to happen with online purchasing getting more popular,...

Docking for liners and foot bridge would be great. The footbridge has been talked about for ages now, would we all pay a little bit more on our property tax for the above 2 to happen say 5-10 years down the line?
as for your first point, that is exactly what the city council and VT have been trying to do, its working to some extent.

Finnbar01

Max Powers wrote: »

Docking for liners and foot bridge would be great. The footbridge has been talked about for ages now, would we all pay a little bit more on our property tax for the above 2 to happen say 5-10 years down the line?
as for your first point, that is exactly what the city council and VT have been trying to do, its working to some extent.

Ìf we all agreed to chip in a little more on our property tax for our foot bridge, the government will come along and throw that millions at consultants.

invara

In terms of statistics you should check our Edgar Morgenroth's research. He works in the ERSI and has studied regional investment by government, which explains a lot about what is going on in Waterford and the South East. His model shows that the SE has been strategically under-invested in as a region, and this has implications for rates of unemployment, educational attainment and life expectancy. A number of people attribute the cities problems to being an attitudinal thing (as though people from Limerick, Galway and Cork were naturally more upbeat).

A case in point is investment in third level education. The HEA on their website recently published the income of all IoTs and Universities- Galway is having over €250m invested in it each year, while Waterford is getting €85million. This has obvious spin-offs in terms of direct employment, but also in terms of the IDAs willingness to sell the city as a place to set up factories.

MRnotlob606

we need more variety

14handicap

MRnotlob606 wrote: »

we need more variety

Such as?

Fuzzytrooper

Is it not a case that Waterford needs to attract industry first? If there's more people working then there's more people buying. My wife and i had to move to Dublin because of the job situation. Im a programmer and there was very little available a year ago. Lots of the clients we deal with are based in canary wharf in London which would be reachable from Waterford airport so maybe if more was made of that?

14handicap

Fuzzytrooper wrote: »

Is it not a case that Waterford needs to attract industry first? If there's more people working then there's more people buying. My wife and i had to move to Dublin because of the job situation. Im a programmer and there was very little available a year ago. Lots of the clients we deal with are based in canary wharf in London which would be reachable from Waterford airport so maybe if more was made of that?

I think info like that could be very helpful.

There needs to be an "Action Waterford" group set up where people like us can meet with people with power such as City council, politicians, enterprise groups, IDA, and be able to discuss all these issues and ideas.

Once a month maybe somewhere like City-Hall but put everything in writing first and go through all the relevant issues, ideas, etc.

Max Powers

invara wrote: »

In terms of statistics you should check our Edgar Morgenroth's research. He works in the ERSI and has studied regional investment by government, which explains a lot about what is going on in Waterford and the South East. His model shows that the SE has been strategically under-invested in as a region, and this has implications for rates of unemployment, educational attainment and life expectancy. A number of people attribute the cities problems to being an attitudinal thing (as though people from Limerick, Galway and Cork were naturally more upbeat).

A case in point is investment in third level education. The HEA on their website recently published the income of all IoTs and Universities- Galway is having over €250m invested in it each year, while Waterford is getting €85million. This has obvious spin-offs in terms of direct employment, but also in terms of the IDAs willingness to sell the city as a place to set up factories.

post up some the reports stats for us will you. its nothing new, we know of complete lack of investment but good to see the figures.

somahoney74

invara wrote: »

In terms of statistics you should check our Edgar Morgenroth's research. He works in the ERSI and has studied regional investment by government, which explains a lot about what is going on in Waterford and the South East. His model shows that the SE has been strategically under-invested in as a region, and this has implications for rates of unemployment, educational attainment and life expectancy. A number of people attribute the cities problems to being an attitudinal thing (as though people from Limerick, Galway and Cork were naturally more upbeat).

A case in point is investment in third level education. The HEA on their website recently published the income of all IoTs and Universities- Galway is having over €250m invested in it each year, while Waterford is getting €85million. This has obvious spin-offs in terms of direct employment, but also in terms of the IDAs willingness to sell the city as a place to set up factories.

These statistics need to be collated and presented in an easily understood fashion so that people can present them to our politicians and ask what they are going to do about them. Maybe a job for the Chamber of Commerce?

deadybai

For men shopping in Waterford is nearly non existent. I would go there alot because I'm whipped :P. But I find that I never buy anything. If I go to Kilkenny,Clonmel,Wexford etc. I would buy something nearly all of the time. And its getting worse. The Lisduggan shopping centre is on a slippery slope and the quay is absolutely a disgrace with all the empty units.

Digital Society

parking, parking, parking, parking...........

1.80 an hour? Where the **** are we the middle of Paris?

Absolute ****hole full of whingers.

wellboytoo

Digital Society wrote: »

parking, parking, parking, parking...........

1.80 an hour? Where the **** are we the middle of Paris?

Absolute ****hole full of whingers.

You quote the dearest or almost dearest spot and omit the 3.60 per day and 1 euro per hour parking lots, not a valid reason.

Finnbar01

Here's what shops are up against...

Amazon’s app for iPhone this week added “Flow,” an image recognition tool designed to allow consumers to add a product to their shopping cart by merely pointing their phone’s camera at it.


Amazon is integrating product recognition software, called “Flow,” into its main shopping app. Point your phone’s camera at a labeled product, and if Amazon sells it, you’ll see it pop up.

Flow—as its name suggests—aims to make it as seamless as possible to shop. MarketWatch carried out its own “showrooming” with the app. Scanning a three-bottle package of the hair growth serum Rogaine, Flow immediately found the item on Amazon for $43.85, 30% cheaper than the $62.99 price in a Duane Reade store

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/amazon-turns-cameras-into-credit-cards-2014-02-07?siteid=rss&rss=1

wellboytoo

I lost half hour of my life reading this, same oul same oul,nothing new here.
Move along folks.