Marks and Spencer.

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zinedine said:
I'm not a fan of the metro centre and haven't been in it for years. It had a fairground last time I was there which I hear has now gone.
A lot of places do free on Thursdays this time of year though it's usually only after 5 or 6 for the evening shopping. I like to support local shops but rarely go into our city centre, preferrng seaham or washington which are both easy to get to from where I live just off the A19. If parking was free Saturdays I'd go into the town more often. Paying to park when you are there to spend money and effectively support the centre goes against the grain for me.
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I quite often walk from Seaburn to the town along the seafront and the river especially when the weather's decent, and then back home again. Stop off in a couple of pubs on the way back.
 


The article i read mentioned they would possibly be store closures, but didn't mention which ones. Given the OP story is from the Chronic, its no surprise they're touting the Sunlun store to close. I'd be surprised if the one in town did close, mind High St needs sorting out, its terrible.
 
Stubbs ftm said:
The article i read mentioned they would possibly be store closures, but didn't mention which ones. Given the OP story is from the Chronic, its no surprise they're touting the Sunlun store to close. I'd be surprised if the one in town did close, mind High St needs sorting out, its terrible.
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How long is it since you've been down there?
 
Stubbs ftm said:
The article i read mentioned they would possibly be store closures, but didn't mention which ones. Given the OP story is from the Chronic, its no surprise they're touting the Sunlun store to close. I'd be surprised if the one in town did close, mind High St needs sorting out, its terrible.
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Probably a good bet though, can't think of another high street one in the north east apart from Newcastle.
 
Stubbs ftm said:
The article i read mentioned they would possibly be store closures, but didn't mention which ones. Given the OP story is from the Chronic, its no surprise they're touting the Sunlun store to close. I'd be surprised if the one in town did close, mind High St needs sorting out, its terrible.
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Sounds like the same story that was in the echo last year
 
zinedine said:
Councils could help centres like Bishop and Sunderland by having free parking in and around them. I know people who refuse to pay to park their cars when they're giving their money to shops and so go to the metro centre, team valley or washington.
I was through Bishop a few weeks back and was very surprised at its demise. They'e building some kind of tower in the market place which looks interesting but I'm not sure it'll help reopen all the closed shops.
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nowt worse than little hitlers running round town centres ticketing shoppers. just another nail in the high street coffin tbh, shame local councils can't see the wood for the trees....
 
Paddy O'Dors said:
I quite often walk from Seaburn to the town along the seafront and the river especially when the weather's decent, and then back home again. Stop off in a couple of pubs on the way back.
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Aye that's not a bad stroll out, I'd do the same if I lived at seaburn.
Another thing that could be done which is a bit greener than free carparks is free or very cheap bus fares from the outling estates to the centre. Something has to be done to get people back into town and city centres otherwise it's going to be more empty shops or charity shops.
 
janiep said:
I could write an essay about this. Local supply means retailers can do just-in-time production, which gives them an edge. British textile production is still round and about, but much of it is high end, and we happen to be the best in the world at some of the stuff we do (Scottish cashmere - best in world, Northampton shoes - best in world, Abraham Moon’s woollen fabric - best in world). M&S did a Best of British range for several years which showcased much of this, and using their bulk purchasing power were able to buy a much lower cost and sell at lower cost - but I’m talking about a pair of Northampton shoes being £200 in M&S not £300 in the maker’s shops.

Cheap fashion now is about very quick turnaround of styles, not putting together a cohesive range. Customers expect to wear for a bit and chuck. High end fashion is about a cohesive range using quality materials so a woman can walk in and buy several items that work together, expecting them to last a couple of years. M&S has been bad at both. They remain obsessed with everything having to be sold under their own brand, so the ranges become slaves to the brand rather than the other way round.

Retailers need increasingly to use their real estate as showrooms and collection and return points.

Terrible for Sunderland if M&S goes mind. But I doubt it’s the destination store it used to be, the one that if you secured it as a tenant for your shopping mall you’d be made because you’d automatically increase footfall for everyone else.
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I have thought that M&S should sell brands.As you say their clothes have to fit the St Michael brand.

They have been ailing for at least 10 years. No one has been able to stop the seemingly inevitable decline.

The brand is seen as boring, similar to how C&A was viewed. I always bought my work shirts from there but not for probably 10 years.

Shame really.If that goes there will be bugger all left in High Street.

Paddy O'Dors said:
I quite often walk from Seaburn to the town along the seafront and the river especially when the weather's decent, and then back home again. Stop off in a couple of pubs on the way back.
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Are you asking people to actually walk to town????

Are you mad!!!!!!!
 
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zinedine said:
Councils could help centres like Bishop and Sunderland by having free parking in and around them. I know people who refuse to pay to park their cars when they're giving their money to shops and so go to the metro centre, team valley or washington.
I was through Bishop a few weeks back and was very surprised at its demise. They'e building some kind of tower in the market place which looks interesting but I'm not sure it'll help reopen all the closed shops.
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Daft thing is, it'll probably cost just as much if not more in petrol to metro than pay to park locally. Add in the frustration of traffic jams on the A1.

You can park for free if you're prepared to walk 10 min.
 
M&S should play to its strengths: food and underwear.

Last year, when we were last living in UK, we switched to doing our weekly shop mainly from M&S because the quality was noticeably better, and the cost was about the same as elsewhere - especially if you scout for marked-down items and then stick them in the freezer.

Their underwear has always been the industry standard. I bought a set of underpants from - er - Sports Direct, and the 3-inch label on them went down my bum crack. You never get that with M&S.
 
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