The last rites for Eagles Meadow
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So after the announcement of Greggs and Starbucks closures, we now have Dorothy Perkins and Top shop closing.Having already lost Poundworld and Wallis’s there will be more activity in the cemetery than in Eagles Meadow. You have to wonder how long Debenhams and Marks and Spencer can exist in the ghost town area.
People still want to shop in the town centre and not walking over a swinging bridge.One of the failings for Eagles Meadow is that it is a shopping centre which has a dead end – the lack of purpose to go anywhere as it is a destination shopping area only. When the destination shops have closed why would you want to go there as you are not walking to anything else.
This latest round of closures plus those already empty units looks like an overall closure of over 30% – or put another way a 30% reduction in the reason why anyone will shop there.
There have already been many financial announcements about M & S and Debenhams – if one of these go then the place will fall like a pack of cards and will truly be a ghost zone – possible with no retail then the ‘undesirables’ from the town centre will relocate giving the town centre a better atmosphere.
Debenhams and M & S are probably waiting for the Christmas trade period – if that proves to be poor then closure notices are bound to be up within the first two weeks of January.
At the end of the day, physical retail is dying as people find it cheaper and more convenient to buy stuff online and have it delivered. This is just another step down that road.
Greggs have two other outlets in the town, as well as rivals Chatwins, Poundbakery, Gerrards etc etc. There are only so many pasties and sausage rolls a town of Wrexham’s size can manage to consume.
Same applies to Starbucks – one down and one to go. People who like a proper coffee are already choosing elsewhere in the town – Blank Canvas, Lot 11, Courtyard Cafe, Vasco da Gama etc….
Good riddance to Poundworld! Imported scr*p that worsens our balance of payments and does even worse for its customers.
Perhaps Eagles’ Meadow will manage to attract some more interesting tenants than the above three. Here’s hoping.This is interesting from across the border…
The 3 phone shop is relocating to The Grosvenor Shopping Centre Chester because “Wrexham is dying” i was informed yesterday.
Reports in recent business papers are indicating that more people now renew their phone contract with an existing provider as an online upgrade, those with PAYG just do an internet search for the cheapest supplier- phone shops are just giving people the chance to ‘feel’ the goods and then shop around.
Other shops that are due to shrink ion numbers are greetings card shops — people are sending more and more electronic wishes and the growth of the online service such as Moonpig were you order an actual card online and get it sent direct.
The third group where there is significant movement is the charity shop sector (13 in Wrexham) with national organisations and the larger ones setting up ‘super save charity outlets’ – these create pressure on the smaller ones- in Wrexham the first of the ‘super’ ones is being opened up in Regent Street by Nightingale House.
These three categories alone account for aprox 25 retail outlets of which at least a third are predicted to close within 6 – 9 months.
I agree, renewing on-line is probably the way a lot of people go but, i have to say all the phone shops were busy (except EE) with the o2 shop being the busiest so, a lot of people using the shops too. 3 are’nt closing a shop down, just moving it to another, more successful (they hope) location so, they must think shops are still needed. Anyhow, another empty shop in Eagles Meadow, not good.
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