Hull City Centre - Retail - Page 6

up the tigers · January 15th, 2010, 10:13 PM

It was even worse over Christmas when there were stalls right along the middle making it impossible to walk unhindered from one end to another. Seems like a sneaky way to get us to walk closer to the shops and therefore go in.

They are alright in Princes Quay as that is a shopping centre. St Stephens on the other hand was always meant to be a light and spacious 'street' so littering the place with crappy mobile phone stalls brings the whole place down.

LackofColour · January 15th, 2010, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Digital09

in general I think St stephens is becoming too cluttered though, the tat stalls selling mobile phone covers, scarves etc in the middle of the 'street' look awful

agreed, stalls offering make overs bring nothing to St Stephens. The unit only looks large enough to be run successfully as a Baskin Robbins or Millies Cookies.

Pippin0490 · January 17th, 2010, 05:06 AM

FIT 24

Opening Spring 2010

http://www.ststephens-hull.com/websi...1-f8d051ecfd0b

Digital09 · January 17th, 2010, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pippin0490

FIT 24

Opening Spring 2010

http://www.ststephens-hull.com/websi...1-f8d051ecfd0b

it'll be a good addition, and will help the 'city centre living' thing that the council wants to promote...24hour opening is a big gimmic though, very few will be using it overnight (maybe a few people who work shifts, but that's all)

bighead · January 17th, 2010, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Digital09

it'll be a good addition, and will help the 'city centre living' thing that the council wants to promote...24hour opening is a big gimmic though, very few will be using it overnight (maybe a few people who work shifts, but that's all)

i wouldn't expect it to be there a year, with the 24hr opening lasting a few months at most.

albionfagan · January 17th, 2010, 06:51 PM

Saw a report the other day suggesting that Hull was 'out of recession', whether that's just some council spin or the truth I don't know.

Oh, and it's a shame to see Princes' Quay so empty nowadays.

up the tigers · January 17th, 2010, 09:19 PM

If you ignore the Harbour deck i dont think theres too much to be concerned about. I was in there today and it seemed fairly busy and there dont appear to be many empty units. But the harbour deck does need sorting out and i cant really see 2 big retailers wanting to move into the old TK Maxx and JJB units.

acwalby · January 17th, 2010, 11:52 PM

I was in Princes Quay on Tuesday afternoon and could not believe how dead it was.

The harbour deck was literally empty and the main and upper decks were very quiet, probably no more than 50 people.

Princes Quay cannot compete with St Stephen's in its current form. It's outdated, the units are too small for modern retail, the food court is awful and the current selection of shops is poor.

If it carries on this way it will become the new Prospect Centre within a few years.

I would like to see the centre completely modernised and brought up to standard in a similar way to St Stephen's and other modern shopping centres throughout the UK.

I think several of the small units should be knocked together to create medium to large-sized ones in order to accommodate the needs of modern retail.

Kingston Upon Hull · January 18th, 2010, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by acwalby

I was in Princes Quay on Tuesday afternoon and could not believe how dead it was.

The harbour deck was literally empty and the main and upper decks were very quiet, probably no more than 50 people.

Princes Quay cannot compete with St Stephen's in its current form. It's outdated, the units are too small for modern retail, the food court is awful and the current selection of shops is poor.

If it carries on this way it will become the new Prospect Centre within a few years.

I would like to see the centre completely modernised and brought up to standard in a similar way to St Stephen's and other modern shopping centres throughout the UK.

I think several of the small units should be knocked together to create medium to large-sized ones in order to accommodate the needs of modern retail.

I was in Princess Quay last week and i thought something had happened it was around 3pm and including myself i came in contact with around 10 people and 5 of them where kids on the look out for trouble.

TYerrible place and the even the cinema seems to hot bed for chavs particularly on Wednesday night (Orange).

I wont set foot in the place again terrible place

up the tigers · January 18th, 2010, 11:49 AM

I'd even say that Prospect Centre is outperforming Princes Quay in terms of footfall. Adding Wilkinson to Prospect Centre has cemented its reputation as more of a discount/essential items centre which suits Hull very well. St Stephens is right at the opposite end with more of a focus on high end fashion, at least thats what it claims to be. Princes Quay is just left in the middle with many of its stores to be found elsewhere such as New Look and River Island. However it has attempted to bring some new names which are new to the city.

ChrisG (Hull) · January 18th, 2010, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by acwalby

I was in Princes Quay on Tuesday afternoon and could not believe how dead it was.

The harbour deck was literally empty and the main and upper decks were very quiet, probably no more than 50 people.

Princes Quay cannot compete with St Stephen's in its current form. It's outdated, the units are too small for modern retail, the food court is awful and the current selection of shops is poor.

If it carries on this way it will become the new Prospect Centre within a few years.

I would like to see the centre completely modernised and brought up to standard in a similar way to St Stephen's and other modern shopping centres throughout the UK.

I think several of the small units should be knocked together to create medium to large-sized ones in order to accommodate the needs of modern retail.

The prospect centre has improved exponentially in the last few years - it always seems busy now and has probably benefitted from St Steve's opening. Anchors such as Wilkinsons, WHSmiths and Boots attract alot of people, whereas Princess Quay I would only consider Primark an anchor, and pehaps VUE but they aren't the same.

acwalby · January 18th, 2010, 06:04 PM

Princes Quay has lots of potential and could easily rival St Stephen's in the future.

If the centre was entirely modernised and altered slightly (e.g. small units made into medium to large ones) it could attract major national and international retailers as well as good quality restaurants.

I accept that Prospect Centre is doing well (on the face of it) but I do not want to see Princes Quay become a second or third rate shopping centre. It deserves better than that.

It makes me sad to see Princes Quay in decline. It was once Hull's premier shopping destination.

Jhull10 · January 18th, 2010, 06:31 PM

fcuk is closing in princes quay to only add to the number of empty units, and quirky shoes in ststephens

livin' hull · January 18th, 2010, 06:37 PM

Princes Quay could do with a good clean IMO ! (perhaps some of the clientele too!)

we wont see any improvement in Princes Quay until the economy picks up again - and even then according to latest report Hull will be lagging behind, again

as alluded to earlier it needs a complete overhaul, but it already has largish units, so it'll need something more drastic - oh wait whats that plan I remember? Quay West! humph

I think Princes Quay current problems arent helped by being up for sale, which will lead to a lack of investment by the company selling it, hopefully once sold we'll see some improvements...

acwalby · January 18th, 2010, 06:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jhull10

fcuk is closing in princes quay to only add to the number of empty units...

Another nail in the coffin. If they're lucky they might get a third-rate independent to replace it.

Digital09 · January 18th, 2010, 06:57 PM

the big trouble princes quay has is it is stuck in the middle...StStephens is the 'flagship' whilst Prospect Centre is the stack it high sell it cheap mall.

the other big problem it has is that its big plan to revive itself, ditching top deck and its retailers was in hindsight not a complete success. St Stephens gained a cinema fairly late in the planning..which took the shine off Princes Quay (which would have been the only mainstream city centre cinema) while meanwhile removing the independent retailers that were unique and 'destination' shops for many people.

with the benefit of hindsight, I think it'd have been best for the cinema to move into the harbour deck (which is now largely empty) with the retailers remaining on top deck. And the current occupants such as Disney Store would have filled the empty units on the floors in the middle..but hindsight is a great thing.

I don't think Quay West is the answer either, as sadly I just don't see Hull's retail demand growing sufficiently to warrant it in the next 10 or so years.

up the tigers · January 19th, 2010, 10:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jhull10

fcuk is closing in princes quay to only add to the number of empty units, and quirky shoes in ststephens

Plus Clarks on King Edward Street at the end of the month. So in the past year we will have lost Barrats, Priceless Shoes, Quirky Shoes, A Shoe Zone, Original Shoe Company and now Clarks. Can anyone invisage even a couple of shoe retailers wanting to move in to hull in the coming years.

ChrisG (Hull) · January 19th, 2010, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by up the tigers

Plus Clarks on King Edward Street at the end of the month. So in the past year we will have lost Barrats, Priceless Shoes, Quirky Shoes, A Shoe Zone, Original Shoe Company and now Clarks. Can anyone invisage even a couple of shoe retailers wanting to move in to hull in the coming years.

thats weird, do we all walk around barefoot?

Dazzar86 · January 19th, 2010, 04:23 PM

Nobody buys shoes from places like that anymore because 1. they look crap and 2. ARE crap!

You can get much more stylish footwear for cheaper from places like Topman (Topshop for women). People don't bother with Barretts and Priceless Shoes anymore. If people want trainers, they go to Sportsworld, JJB (DW) or JD Sports. If people want to spend a decent amount on a decent, fashionable pair, they'll go to Schuh.

"Barrats, Priceless Shoes, Quirky Shoes, A Shoe Zone, Original Shoe Company and now Clarks".

All seen as unfashionable or tacky. Only used by grannies, grandads and parents looking for cheap school shoes, before realising they can get leather school shoes from Sportsworld.

It's the reason GAP closed down - people realised GAP is infact, CRAP. You can get better for cheaper elsewhere.

FCUK, name-wise is a big loss - Otherwise it is not. I think I went in once. Lots of plain black, long-sleeved t-shirts with FCUK on them in white. Why would anybody want them? Hi, I'm a walking advert for FCUK, how do you do?!!
How 1990s is that though? probably only bought by men with too much gel in their hair which go to Ibiza every year because "it's the place to be".

Agreed PQ needs a complete overhaul and needs to think of a new anchor to attract. It needs to specialise in something new. I think I only go in to PQ for Vue, Tiger Leisure and Primark.

The problem is, the longer they leave it, the more likely it is to get worse, which in the long run will only lead to potential tennants being put off.

The Harbour deck needs a complete overhaul the most. I don't know why they don't try create a new 'top deck' on the harbour deck. Bring in a load of independents at low rents, create something like a 'lanes' at Meadowhall. The old JJB could be turned into a local crafts market with local artists and craft/card makers being able to sell their stuff on stalls. But it would have to be tastefully done - properly fitted stalls. Identical ones, rather than cheap, nasty-looking outdoor market stalls.

legolamb · January 19th, 2010, 08:17 PM

You make some good points about shoe shops daz.

Schuh is a bit trendier and hasn't been affected.

How long before we can be a bit more serious about the idea of pulling PQ down and reclaiming the dockside as part of a new, improved (mainly open-air) Quay West type scheme?

I suppose the new cinema would be an issue, but could be accommodated. A bit of a fantasy idea, but worth discussion?

January 17th, 2010, 05:06 AM	#103
Pippin0490 Are we not men?We're Devo Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Kingston upon Hull Posts: 568 Likes (Received): 2	24 hour Gym in St. Stephens confirmed FIT 24 Opening Spring 2010 http://www.ststephens-hull.com/websi...1-f8d051ecfd0b __________________ "In the past this information has been suppressed, but now it can be told. Every man, woman and mutant on this planet shall know the truth about de-evolution."

January 17th, 2010, 11:52 PM	#108
acwalby Registered User Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Kingston upon Hull Posts: 319 Likes (Received): 1	I was in Princes Quay on Tuesday afternoon and could not believe how dead it was. The harbour deck was literally empty and the main and upper decks were very quiet, probably no more than 50 people. Princes Quay cannot compete with St Stephen's in its current form. It's outdated, the units are too small for modern retail, the food court is awful and the current selection of shops is poor. If it carries on this way it will become the new Prospect Centre within a few years. I would like to see the centre completely modernised and brought up to standard in a similar way to St Stephen's and other modern shopping centres throughout the UK. I think several of the small units should be knocked together to create medium to large-sized ones in order to accommodate the needs of modern retail. __________________ View my City of Kingston upon Hull set on flickr

January 18th, 2010, 06:04 PM	#112
acwalby Registered User Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Kingston upon Hull Posts: 319 Likes (Received): 1	Princes Quay has lots of potential and could easily rival St Stephen's in the future. If the centre was entirely modernised and altered slightly (e.g. small units made into medium to large ones) it could attract major national and international retailers as well as good quality restaurants. I accept that Prospect Centre is doing well (on the face of it) but I do not want to see Princes Quay become a second or third rate shopping centre. It deserves better than that. It makes me sad to see Princes Quay in decline. It was once Hull's premier shopping destination. __________________ View my City of Kingston upon Hull set on flickr

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January 15th, 2010, 10:13 PM	#101
up the tigers Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Kingston Upon Hull Posts: 3,308 Likes (Received): 0	It was even worse over Christmas when there were stalls right along the middle making it impossible to walk unhindered from one end to another. Seems like a sneaky way to get us to walk closer to the shops and therefore go in. They are alright in Princes Quay as that is a shopping centre. St Stephens on the other hand was always meant to be a light and spacious 'street' so littering the place with crappy mobile phone stalls brings the whole place down.

January 17th, 2010, 06:51 PM	#106
albionfagan Registered User Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Liverpool Posts: 4,843 Likes (Received): 131	Saw a report the other day suggesting that Hull was 'out of recession', whether that's just some council spin or the truth I don't know. Oh, and it's a shame to see Princes' Quay so empty nowadays.

January 17th, 2010, 09:19 PM	#107
up the tigers Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Kingston Upon Hull Posts: 3,308 Likes (Received): 0	If you ignore the Harbour deck i dont think theres too much to be concerned about. I was in there today and it seemed fairly busy and there dont appear to be many empty units. But the harbour deck does need sorting out and i cant really see 2 big retailers wanting to move into the old TK Maxx and JJB units.

January 18th, 2010, 11:49 AM	#110
up the tigers Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Kingston Upon Hull Posts: 3,308 Likes (Received): 0	I'd even say that Prospect Centre is outperforming Princes Quay in terms of footfall. Adding Wilkinson to Prospect Centre has cemented its reputation as more of a discount/essential items centre which suits Hull very well. St Stephens is right at the opposite end with more of a focus on high end fashion, at least thats what it claims to be. Princes Quay is just left in the middle with many of its stores to be found elsewhere such as New Look and River Island. However it has attempted to bring some new names which are new to the city.

January 18th, 2010, 06:31 PM	#113
Jhull10 Registered User Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 31 Likes (Received): 0	fcuk is closing in princes quay to only add to the number of empty units, and quirky shoes in ststephens

January 18th, 2010, 06:37 PM	#114
livin' hull Registered User Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 1,062 Likes (Received): 1	Princes Quay could do with a good clean IMO ! (perhaps some of the clientele too!) we wont see any improvement in Princes Quay until the economy picks up again - and even then according to latest report Hull will be lagging behind, again as alluded to earlier it needs a complete overhaul, but it already has largish units, so it'll need something more drastic - oh wait whats that plan I remember? Quay West! humph I think Princes Quay current problems arent helped by being up for sale, which will lead to a lack of investment by the company selling it, hopefully once sold we'll see some improvements...

January 18th, 2010, 06:57 PM	#116
Digital09 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 149 Likes (Received): 1	the big trouble princes quay has is it is stuck in the middle...StStephens is the 'flagship' whilst Prospect Centre is the stack it high sell it cheap mall. the other big problem it has is that its big plan to revive itself, ditching top deck and its retailers was in hindsight not a complete success. St Stephens gained a cinema fairly late in the planning..which took the shine off Princes Quay (which would have been the only mainstream city centre cinema) while meanwhile removing the independent retailers that were unique and 'destination' shops for many people. with the benefit of hindsight, I think it'd have been best for the cinema to move into the harbour deck (which is now largely empty) with the retailers remaining on top deck. And the current occupants such as Disney Store would have filled the empty units on the floors in the middle..but hindsight is a great thing. I don't think Quay West is the answer either, as sadly I just don't see Hull's retail demand growing sufficiently to warrant it in the next 10 or so years.

January 19th, 2010, 04:23 PM	#119
Dazzar86 Registered User Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Hull Posts: 2,435 Likes (Received): 0	Nobody buys shoes from places like that anymore because 1. they look crap and 2. ARE crap! You can get much more stylish footwear for cheaper from places like Topman (Topshop for women). People don't bother with Barretts and Priceless Shoes anymore. If people want trainers, they go to Sportsworld, JJB (DW) or JD Sports. If people want to spend a decent amount on a decent, fashionable pair, they'll go to Schuh. "Barrats, Priceless Shoes, Quirky Shoes, A Shoe Zone, Original Shoe Company and now Clarks". All seen as unfashionable or tacky. Only used by grannies, grandads and parents looking for cheap school shoes, before realising they can get leather school shoes from Sportsworld. It's the reason GAP closed down - people realised GAP is infact, CRAP. You can get better for cheaper elsewhere. FCUK, name-wise is a big loss - Otherwise it is not. I think I went in once. Lots of plain black, long-sleeved t-shirts with FCUK on them in white. Why would anybody want them? Hi, I'm a walking advert for FCUK, how do you do?!! How 1990s is that though? probably only bought by men with too much gel in their hair which go to Ibiza every year because "it's the place to be". Agreed PQ needs a complete overhaul and needs to think of a new anchor to attract. It needs to specialise in something new. I think I only go in to PQ for Vue, Tiger Leisure and Primark. The problem is, the longer they leave it, the more likely it is to get worse, which in the long run will only lead to potential tennants being put off. The Harbour deck needs a complete overhaul the most. I don't know why they don't try create a new 'top deck' on the harbour deck. Bring in a load of independents at low rents, create something like a 'lanes' at Meadowhall. The old JJB could be turned into a local crafts market with local artists and craft/card makers being able to sell their stuff on stalls. But it would have to be tastefully done - properly fitted stalls. Identical ones, rather than cheap, nasty-looking outdoor market stalls.

January 19th, 2010, 08:17 PM	#120
legolamb Advance Kingstonia! Join Date: Apr 2006 Posts: 5,760 Likes (Received): 10	You make some good points about shoe shops daz. Schuh is a bit trendier and hasn't been affected. How long before we can be a bit more serious about the idea of pulling PQ down and reclaiming the dockside as part of a new, improved (mainly open-air) Quay West type scheme? I suppose the new cinema would be an issue, but could be accommodated. A bit of a fantasy idea, but worth discussion?