Birmingham Retail

[Brummyboy92]

There is quite a few units empty in the Bull Ring at the moment, not good

[sefton66]

I wonder when the stand alone river island accesories store is due to open and where?

[NewTroll]

Originally Posted by Brummyboy92

There is quite a few units empty in the Bull Ring at the moment, not good

There a lot of empty shop units everywhere.

[Qoasis777]

Originally Posted by NewTroll

There a lot of empty shop units everywhere.

It's a recession

[NewTroll]

Originally Posted by Qoasis777

It's a recession

Yes, and shopping patterns have changed: internet, large supermarkets diversifying, moves by many chains to out of town shopping. In Coventry the retail started to decline before the recession.

[sefton66]

I don't think weve got that many empty units in the city centre in my opinion?

What units are empty now in the bullring?

Also looks like demo is ready to start on the palletline building on tyburn road, starting putting up hoardings around the front now

It's got planning for 4 car showrooms, with them all prelet
Land rover, mazda Citroen and Peugeot from memory?

[sefton66]

Kings Norton Co-op recommended for approval

Last updated: 27th Jul 2012 at 08:17am

A controversial planning application to demolish a Birmingham pub to make way for a Co-operative supermarket looks likely to be given the go ahead.

The proposals to knock down the Navigation Inn in Kings Norton, which is owned by Spirit Pub Company, and replace it with a 10,000 sq ft food store has been recommended for approval by planning officers at Birmingham City Council.

The plans will now be scrutinised by the council's planning committee at a meeting next week (2 August).

Co-op pulled a previous application for the site in December just days before it was expected to be refused permission by the council.

The Midland Co-operative Society has now amended its plans, making adjustments, including a transport assessment, ecology survey, change to the boundary and alterations to the appearance of the building.

However, the proposals have faced numerous objections from adjacent occupiers and member of the public, including 296 individual complaints and a petition with 147 signatures.

The Victorian Society has also opposed the demolition of the pub as it said there has been an inn on the site for more than 200 years.

Planning officers have recommended the proposals be approved subject to a list of condition.

http://www.insidermedia.com/insider/...val/index.html

[sefton66]

thought this was worth a post,

Application Details
Application Number 2012/05113/PA
Application Type Full Planning
Site Address The Fort Shopping Park Fort Parkway Birmingham B24 9FP
Proposal Reconfiguration of existing car park to provide an additional 72 no. car parking spaces

[sefton66]

It’s time to raid your gran’s wardrobe!

Shop for Vintage Fashion on Ebay
Authentic vintage fashion is big news this summer.

So much so that Frankie Johns has just undergone a major extension to his vintage shop Urban in The Custard Factory, Digbeth.

“During my time in vintage clothing I have noticed a change in attitude,” says Frankie, who has been dealing in vintage for 14 years.



“I think celebrities wearing vintage has helped improve the reputation, people like Zooey Deschanel, Paloma Faith, and bands like Kasabian are making vintage clothing more acceptable.

“It seems people are shying away from “throw-away” high street fashion and are wanting to invest in quality and affordable pieces of vintage.”

The new extension will be dedicated to vintage denim, accessories and jewellery plus a ‘try before your buy’ record bar boasting over 5,000 records.

Visit www.urban-village.co.uk*to find out more.

Read More http://www.birminghammail.net/lifest...#ixzz22ChzdMnW

[DBadger]

Does anybody know anything about the store Sweet Memories?

It appeared in the Mander Centre recently and I assumed it was an independent store. In a weird twist however one is now opening on the Vine Island, Wolverhampton - a weird location since these are all tiny local shops serving the houses there.

I'm wondering if there are more around / any in Birmingham. They sell retro sweets, Wonka bars, etc.

(The tattoo shop in this streetview. The tattoo shop itself has moved to nearby Oxley, which is more of a shopping centre than this little bit.)

http://goo.gl/maps/69mUF

I'm sure this unit's cursed. It's been several fruit and veg shops, a tattoo parlour, funeral directors, squatted, flower shop, and various other things over it's time..

[ReissOmari]

JD Sports, now open

[sefton66]

Cheers for the pic reiss, that canopy really need to go

[ReissOmari]

No problem mae, it really does, was just looking at Dalziel and Pow's website, new Primark in Berlin, imagine if our looked like this! http://www.dalziel-pow.com/news/primark_berlin/ http://www.dalziel-pow.com/work/primark/

I wonder if there is a way to find out what Scottish Widows are playing at, because it really is letting down the shopping area.

[DBadger]

This (berlin ^ above) is what the Primark concession in Selfriges look like but we'd never get the New Street store looking like this. My sister works in a Primark, and formerly at the New Street branch, and there's just a general "that's how it is" attitude in people who shop there that clothes just belong on the floor. They also are vastly understaffed so they'd never be able to keep displays like this stocked well enough. I doubt New Street will ever resemble this.

[Typhoon2000]

Originally Posted by sefton66

Cheers for the pic reiss, that canopy really need to go

Yeh, I was thinking that... it really spoils the lines on that building.. on the left two thirds, with the tree, it actually looks quite continental.

[JXH]

Originally Posted by Typhoon2000

... it actually looks quite continental.

Continental?


What continent are you referring to, Sub-Saharan Africa?

[craig lindsay]

Project: JD.

Sports fashion retailer JD has re-opened its store on Birmingham's New Street following a major extension and refurbishment. Designed in collaboration with Briggs Hillier, the 600 sq m store has been completely remodelled, with an extended first floor and a smaller extension on the ground floor to accommodate a new escalator.

The store fascia has also been fully refurbished with a dramatic new entrance that leads into the men’s ground floor ‘King of Trainers’. This is complemented by an impressive first floor window display, extending the full length with ‘open’ sections to bring natural light and a feeling of openness to the space.

Design features unique to the store include a bold graphic of the Birmingham skyline applied to the ‘concrete effect’ feature wall flanking the escalator. This also provides a striking backdrop to the first floor cash desk, located behind a low wall running parallel to the escalator.

The first floor accommodates a large Adidas department and men’s, women’s and kids apparel, in addition to a King of Trainers department purely for women’s, junior and infants footwear. From here leads the new, high impact staircase with dramatic lighting effects.

Complementing the bespoke architectural features of the space, the store takes key elements from the concept Briggs Hillier created and continued to develop and roll out across the UK and Europe.

There are also lots of photos of the new store on the link.

http://www.retail-focus.co.uk/index....cts&Itemid=110

[DBadger]

In Reiss's pic above, it (the exterior) really doesn't look as special as I expected :[

Mainly because of the canopy but that canopy is a lifesaver in the rain, New Street is very slippy. Maybe it's just me.

Anyway the interior is very smart but I can't see what these "bespoke architectural features" are that the interior is supposed to be using.

[SimonTheSoundMan]

It is more to do with the over full rails and clothes folded in piles.

Remove a 1/3 of stock off the rails and stop putting things piled high and people will stop throwing them on the floor.


Primark is not understaffed, it is overstaffed. Most of the staff refold clothes all day.

Originally Posted by DBadger

This (berlin ^ above) is what the Primark concession in Selfriges look like but we'd never get the New Street store looking like this. My sister works in a Primark, and formerly at the New Street branch, and there's just a general "that's how it is" attitude in people who shop there that clothes just belong on the floor. They also are vastly understaffed so they'd never be able to keep displays like this stocked well enough. I doubt New Street will ever resemble this.

[DBadger]

Primark is not understaffed, it is overstaffed. Most of the staff refold clothes all day.

My sister would kill you if she heard this. She comes home ripping her hair out over how few staff there are to go around. None of the admin gets done because the supervisors and managers have to work the displays; they even don't replace sick leavers with temp staff (don't have the money). Refolding clothes all day? Only because the chavs throw it on the floor every time the staff put it out.

The managers force them to put more on the rails, and that's mainly because they don't have the people or time to do it properly. I don't think that's the reason for clothes being strewn on the floor though, the Primark clientel is shoddy (that's not a stereotype, I literally mean people who shop there are idiots. You can stand there and watch someone, pick up a dress, not like the look of it, and just drop it where they're standing. And that happens all day every day. Inconsiderate t*s.)