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Retail in Greater Birmingham

3M views 22K replies 423 participants last post by  sefton66 
#1 ·
I went back to Brum yesterday and found the city centre in a sorry state, with vacant units absolutely everywhere - three and a half years after the Bull Ring opened.

Everyone expected the Bull Ring effect, but things were supposed to have 'settled down' by now. And yet Martineau Place, Bull Street, Corporation Street - even the bit of New Street by the Bull Ring (Mexx didn't last long) all appear to be suffering. Even in the Bull Ring itself, the former Nike store remains unlet and there are other vacant units in the mall.

Great Western Arcade is, as always, only half-let and forlorn as usual. Shops on Corporation Street that ought to be full of people on a Saturday afternoon, such as House of Fraser and Urban Outfitters, were quiet. I didn't even venture to the The Mailbox, but I dread to think how busy (i.e. not busy) that would have been.

So what the cluck is going on? The theory was that landlords would have to lower rents across the rest of the city core once the Bull Ring was opened, and that independents would fill the newly-vacated units. This hasn't happened - not even one bit.

And yet, more retail space is planned - in the form of Martineau Galleries - when it manifestly isn't needed!
 
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#16,324 ·
Superdrug for the new unit next to JD

Application Details
Application Number2019/07466/PA
Application TypeAdvertisement
Site AddressFort Shopping Park - Unit 6 20 Fort Parkway Birmingham B24 9FP
ProposalDisplay of 2 no. internally illuminated fascia and 1 no. internally illuminated projecting sign.
 
#16,327 ·
English towns and cities get share of £95m regeneration fund

Sixty-nine areas to benefit from scheme designed to breathe new life into high streets


Coventry city centre. The Midlands won the largest share of the funding. Photograph: Alamy

Sixty-nine historic English towns and cities will benefit from a £95m regeneration fund, the government has announced.

The funding is intended to “breathe new life” into struggling high streets across the country bytransforming abandoned buildings into shops, houses and community centres.

Towns and cities entered bids after the scheme was announced in May, with the Midlands winning the largest share of £21.1m.

The government’s future high street fund is providing £52m, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) £40m and the National Lottery Heritage Fund £3m.


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The announcement comes after it was revealed this week that 16 stores had shut down every day in the first half of 2019, a retail crisis fuelled by an increasing shift to online shopping that has already cost tens of thousands of jobs.

Last year the then chancellor, Philip Hammond, announced a £675m fund intend to halting high street decline that has left one in 10 shops in UK town centres lying empty. The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has since promised an additional £325m to bring the size of the fund to £1bn.

The government said funding would attract commercial investment and support wider regeneration in the 69 successful areas.

“Our nation’s heritage is one of our great calling cards to the world, attracting millions of visitors to beautiful historic buildings that sit at the heart of our communities,” said the culture secretary, Nicky Morgan.

The shadow culture secretary, Tom Watson, was critical of the announcement, saying that the fund “pales in comparison” to the £1bn “cultural capital fund” that Labour has committed to.

By region, the funding breaks down as follows:

London and the south-east: £14.3m
South-west: £13.7m
Midlands: £21.1m
North-east and Yorkshire: £17.2m
North-west: £18.7m
The winning towns are:

North-east and Yorkshire
Barnsley; Hexham; Huddersfield; Hull; Leeds; Middlesbrough; North Shields; Northallerton; Scarborough CA; Castle Ward; Selby town centre; Skipton; Sowerby Bridge and Wakefield

North-west
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Bacup, Rossendale; Barrow in Furness; Blackpool; Burnley; Chester; Fleetwood; Kirkham; Lancaster; Maryport, Cumbria; Ormskirk; Prescot; Stalybridge; Tyldesley, Greater Manchester and Wigan town centre

Midlands
Brierley Hill; Buxton; Coventry; Grantham; Hinckley; Kettering town centre; Leicester; Leominster; Lincoln; Newark-on-Trent Town Centre; Oswestry; Stoke on Trent and Wednesbury town centre

East of England
Bedford; Dunstable; Great Yarmouth; King’s Lynn; Lowestoft; North Walsham and Swaffham

South-west:
Chard; Cullompton; Gloucester; Keynsham; Midsomer Norton; Plymouth; Poole; Redruth; Tewkesbury and Weston-Super-Mare.

London and the south-east:
Chatham Intra; Croydon; Gosport; Harlesden; Hastings; Newport; Ramsgate; Reading; Ryde; Tottenham; Tower Hamlets and Woolwich.
https://www.theguardian.com/society...NoyzuArZv0p07WDDpT6tMOjCPw#Echobox=1568465523
 
#16,329 ·
Thing is, things have been so bad for so long, does anyone have a clue how to use this aid effectively? Hopefully this isn't just a band-aid for a broken arm
 
#16,332 ·
Why Leicester and Coventry? There centres are already being redeveloped.

Sutton Coldfield town centre should of been selected as the town centre is dying
Nah, until the greedy landlords decide to cut their rents, it will help Sutton Coldfield come back to what it use to be. I understand it's an affluent area but with Birmingham City Centre around the corner, I can understand why big retail stores would choose the city centre over Sutton. I know a lot of locals are going to West Bromwich for local shopping at New Square now, something which Sutton town centre would've covered.
 
#16,333 ·
Leicester might be doing well in some aspects but I suspect this is for the more struggling parts of its city centre - Belgrave Gate, Granby Street, even Market Street - areas that when I lived there were big shopping districts as busy and important as the Highcross area itself, but now are dying on their feet. Think of them like Priory Square and far Corporation Street in Birmingham, I guess.
 
#16,336 ·
Why Leicester and Coventry? There centres are already being redeveloped.
This fund is for regenerating 'historic' buildings/streets, and in Coventry's case it's being used to help redevelop an old street called The Burges which is perhaps the only street to survive the blitz/post war destruction intact.

The redevelopment elsewhere in Coventry is in different areas of the city centre and mainly privately funded.
 
#16,338 ·
#16,339 ·
Grand Central’s New Street Mall to receive £2m upgrade
18/09/2019
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Grand_Central
Grand_Central
Hammerson announced today that it is planning a £2m upgrade to New Street Mall, as part of a phased project which will include significant internal upgrades and result in a more vibrant and engaging entrance to its flagship destination Grand Central – the retail and F&B destination integrated with the busiest transport hub outside London, Birmingham New Street.

The first phase of the project will be delivered in October, and focuses on upgrades to the internal walkway of New Street Mall, including new seating to provide a more relaxed atmosphere and increased dwell time, pilaster treatments to revitalise the destination’s store fronts, and an innovative light installation.

Phase two is projected to complete in Spring 2020, and will involve an upgrade to the double-height atrium entrance at Grand Central, to enhance the visibility of the destination and cement its position as one of the most memorable landmarks in Birmingham.

Conrad Bacon, Portfolio Director, said: “This £2m project will transform New Street Mall and Grand Central, creating a fresh and dynamic entrance, with an eye-catching double-height atrium. Across our portfolio, we’re always looking at ways to improve the experience for our partners and customers, and this is a fantastic example of that. Bullring & Grand Central is one of the UK’s best retail and leisure destinations, and the investment we’ve announced today will help ensure we continue to deliver for both consumers and brands for many years to come.”

Grand Central has attracted a number of exciting brands in 2019, including Herman Ze German’s first site outside of London, popular US fried chicken brand Slim Chickens, and feline friendly eatery Kitty Café. It was also recently revealed that designer childrenswear retailer Base will also be opening in the destination.

https://www.rli.uk.com/grand-centrals-new-street-mall-to-receive-2m-upgrade/
 
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