Blackpool Shopping Centre

Dan Dare

There has been at least three shops closing down in recent months, does anyone know why? Jessica's, the bakery, and a café, and this morning there is another closing down sale.

gimmick

Art & Hobby has had its shutters down the last week too.

The card shop where The Works is has gone recently. Not sure is that the centres fault as it could have been part of a chain, similar to Trespass who have had a closing down sale on for the last few weeks.

TrustedApple

I think the problem for blackpool shopping center is that its so close to the city and there really isnt much there when you think about it to go there over going to town.

I live a 15 min walk from there and 20 mins from the city i would pick the city over blackpool as there is just more to do there and more places to eat and so on.

But i do enjoy going there every now and then for a coffee and cake and i find there CEX and Gamestop a lot better then the city if looking for odd games.

With coffee shops there is loads in the place. O brains, Costa (In Retail Park), Starbucks, Insommia, Begal bar just loads in a small area.

But i do enjoy the odd visit there on the weekends as its normally nice and quite not mad like the city.

newman10

gimmick wrote: »

Art & Hobby has had its shutters down the last week too.

The card shop where The Works is has gone recently. Not sure is that the centres fault as it could have been part of a chain, similar to Trespass who have had a closing down sale on for the last few weeks.

Trespass now closed

gimmick

New Vodafone shop opening though.

Hopefully a few more to come.

Oafley Jones

I was surprised to see Dunmare Café go, always seemed to be busy. Shame about the Art and Hobby shop, but I always wondered how it survived.

rob316

Rents are too high and all new leases are only 12 months so they can keep increasing the rent.

It was much easier to do business there when Clayton Love owned it.

It was bought for a song by some American firm from NAMA for a quick flip which is up for sale again now, its badly run IMO and reflects in the level of occupancy.

boardsuser1

rob316 wrote: »

Rents are too high and all new leases are only 12 months so they can keep increasing the rent.

It was much easier to do business there when Clayton Love owned it.

Lived 500 yards from there when it opened, i never knew he sold it.

Is John Hartnett still running it?

Cummins Sports is one of the few remaining to have been there since it first opened in 2000.

rob316

Cork Truck Driver wrote: »

Lived 500 yards from there when it opened, i never knew he sold it.

Is John Hartnett still running it?

Cummins Sports is one of the few remaining to have been there since it first opened in 2000.

Sold it? It was swallowed up by NAMA just like Douglas Shopping Centre.

Yep he's still the manager.

boardsuser1

rob316 wrote: »

Sold it? It was swallowed up by NAMA just like Douglas Shopping Centre.

Yep he's still the manager.

I learn something new on boards everyday :pac:

Dan Dare

rob316 wrote: »

Rents are too high and all new leases are only 12 months so they can keep increasing the rent.

It was much easier to do business there when Clayton Love owned it.

It was bought for a song by some American firm from NAMA for a quick flip which is up for sale again now, its badly run IMO and reflects in the level of occupancy.

That is what I suspected, I too didn't know that Clayton Love no longer owned it. So the shopping centre is in the hands of vulture capitalists from America.

rob316

Dan Dare wrote: »

That is what I suspected, I too didn't know that Clayton Love no longer owned it. So the shopping centre is in the hands of vulture capitalists from America.

Some hedge fund bought it, have let it sit for a few years and now will collect a profit. There has been zero investment put into it and it shows.

boardsuser1

rob316 wrote: »

Some hedge fund bought it, have let it sit for a few years and now will collect a profit. There has been zero investment put into it and it shows.

It won't end up like north Main Street shopping centre I reckon, but it needs investment.

Dan Dare

It is well maintained and clean looking. I imagine it must be demoralising for the staff working in the other shops to see these retail units closing.

I worked there in 2001 ish for a year. Shop I worked in closed down back then as did many others who were part of the centre at time of opening.

Back then the footfall was appallingly low except on Fri and Sat, Sundays used to be as bad as midweek days.

Some of the clothes shops just closed and left ........ dunno what happened their 30 year leases. The shop I worked in the owner got lucky, he had never returned the signed lease to Clayton Love & Co.

boardsuser1

For anyone visiting Blackpool S.C/Retail park be wary of the clampers.

There has been a spike in the number of vehicles being clamped there recently.

Just in the last hour i witnessed a car and a van clamped.

The guys in the van took off the wheel to try and remove the clamp,as i was pulling away from the retail park i spotted that the clamp was under the front of it but i don't know did they get it off completely.

Not a good way to attract shoppers, although i know some people get the bus into town and let their cars there all day.

Just 2 weeks ago there was a Renault Laguna clamps for days upon end, when i was passing today it was gone,the car was probably towed away in the end.

ofcork

Thats the problem people leaving cars there all day.