Retail in Leeds City Centre

[Smylers]

Originally Posted by Leeds No.1

Currys belongs on retail parks, not Briggate.

Ignoring the specific example of Currys, why do you think there are any stores which should be restricted to retail parks rather than city centre high streets?

We don't have a car, but do live on a very good bus route into Leeds city centre. Stores which only exist in out-of-town retail parks are significantly more hassle for us to get to, so mostly we don't bother; if a store doesn't exist in central Leeds I'm more likely to place an internet order than trek out to a retail park or shopping centre.

I appreciate that for people who prefer to drive the situation may well be reversed, that free out-of-town parking is much less hassle than trying to take a car into the city centre. Each have their advantages.

But I don't understand why you think some shops should only cater to one group or t'other, rather than being available for both.

[this_city]

Originally Posted by Leeds No.1

Currys belongs on retail parks, not Briggate.

they might not belong on Briggate but I wouldn't rule them off of our high streets altogether. We're in a similar situation to Smylers in that we don't drive and either walk everywhere or rely on public transport. Having to go to out of town retail parks for our Currys/ Comet fix would be more than a little restricting and I imagine others may say the same.

[10123]

Well you've got crown point for now though so I'm glad of the loss of currys

[10123]

Originally Posted by di Livio

Republic isn't a classy store though. Even poor old Dixons/Currys had the edge over it in that department.

Do you actually know what republic sell? They sell american apparel, diseal etc so in that sense no currys does not have the edge. Going by the promo images its clear they market towards the river island and topshop crowd.

We should be glad to see a decent clothing store making use of what would be otherwise an empty building on the highstreet, I'd rather see republic on briggate than trinity otherwise we would see another blue star type shop opening up.

[Suburban Knight]

Republic isn't a bad store - it sells a wide range of mid-market labels. Some of those are a bit chavvy (e.g. Henleys), but some of them are quite decent.

It's a perfectly respectable store to have, and isn't too different from Ark or USC. It's not as if it's that awful Blue Star shop that occupied the old Borders unit.

[Ashmataz]

Well there will be the Harewood Qtr and JL in a few years which will no doubt take the shopping focus a bit away from Briggate, more towards Vicar Lane and bring the average 'class' of retail offer up the scale a bit

[Ashmataz]

Actually, forget I said that. Kinda forgot that Trinity will be ready next year lol! Focus will still be around Briggate, just less concentrated

[di Livio]

Originally Posted by 10123

Do you actually know what republic sell? They sell american apparel, diseal etc so in that sense no currys does not have the edge. Going by the promo images its clear they market towards the river island and topshop crowd.

Diesel can be very hit and miss as a brand - for some reason I associate it with thirty/fortysomething couples who dress younger, have no kids and go drinking at places like Oracle.

At least Currys sold Apple products.

[10123]

Originally Posted by di Livio

Diesel can be very hit and miss as a brand - for some reason I associate it with thirty/fortysomething couples who dress younger, have no kids and go drinking at places like Oracle.

At least Currys sold Apple products.

lol your logic behind that is a touch odd.

Gadget FX opposite Boots is clearly a better store than Argos as they have ipads on show rather than in catalog.

[bd250110]

While I do think it's a but unfair to suggest that Currys "belongs" in retail parks, the size and bulk of the goods they sell does lend itself better to out of town locations. Combine razor thin margins with relatively expensive property costs in city centres and often poor access directly to the store for collection of goods and it's easy to see why out of town makes more sense for Currys and Comet.
In the case of the Briggate store, it was tired, dated and long in need of a re-fit. With PC World nearby selling a very similar range consolidation made sense, I suppose. In the bigger picture the loss of Currys(.digital) has not detracted from the retail offering in the centre of Leeds, the addition of Republic is a net positive. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but we don't all shop in M&S or John Lewis.

[di Livio]

Originally Posted by 10123

lol your logic behind that is a touch odd.

I wasn't trying to be logical.

[LeedsDesigner]

Originally Posted by di Livio

I wasn't trying to be logical.

It's illogical captain.

[scs2mwp]

Just spotted a planning application for Jack Wolfskin in Unit B Trinity Square.

https://publicaccess.leeds.gov.uk/on...=M7LZ34JB0QU00

[Leeds No.1]

That's a great addition.

[STOPGO]

Originally Posted by Leeds No.1

That's a great addition.

Is there a bad addition ?

[this_city]

Originally Posted by STOPGO

Is their a bad addition ?

another pound store...

[STOPGO]

Sort of thinking is their a bad addition already, or is everything a great addition has no1 claims.

[di Livio]

Originally Posted by STOPGO

Is their a bad addition ?

Is that a homage to the mistake Rob pointed out earlier?

[STOPGO]

Originally Posted by di Livio

Is that a homage to the mistake Rob pointed out earlier?

Amended.

[Shiny_Dave]

M&S feature from Leeds in national media shock

Women turning off Marks & Spencer fashion



By Harry Wallop

9:30PM BST 07 Jul 2012

There was little sign of the consumer downturn in Leeds city centre last Thursday. The Clinton Cards shop was still trading, the busker was belting out Ed Sheeran and the three-storey Marks & Spencer on Briggate was bustling with shoppers. But a closer look revealed that the majority of the bags people were clutching on leaving the store were full of food, not clothes.

Nicole, 40, and Priti, late 30s, both charity support workers, had come in to buy lunch, saying they were big fans of the food department. Priti had a mushroom pappardelle to microwave back at the office.

They are exactly the sort of customers M&S has built its fortune on – discerning, middle-England, middle-class consumers prepared to spend a little bit extra for some quality products. So when was the last time they’d bought M&S clothing? “I’m not sure. It was some time ago,” said Nicole. “It was a cardi, maybe three years ago.” Priti added: “Everything feels like it is for your grandma.”

That is a harsh assessment. But even grandmothers say the fashion on offer is not right. Marjorie, in her 70s, an ex-M&S employee and an enormous fan, had bought cream £35 deck shoes with her discount. But the skirts and blouses? “I love Per Una, it’s great,” she said of the brand aimed at a younger audience. “The Classic label aimed at people my age is just too old for me and my friends.”

These Leeds shoppers’ experiences are likely to be reflected in M&S’s financial numbers, when it reports its first-quarter trading on Monday. Many analysts think non-food like-for-like sales will fall by about 7pc, its worst performance for at least a decade. It will make for a difficult backdrop when Marc Bolland, the chief executive, stands up to explain the company strategy to shareholders at the annual general meeting on Tuesday. It is all so different from two years ago, when at his first AGM he reported on general merchandise sales increasing by 6pc.

more from the torygraph here