| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Hewson Books not reopening | |
| Posted by: | Tracie Dudley Craig | |
| Date/Time: | 07/02/25 18:32:00 |
| I am very good at shopping. I do The Shops very well indeed. And I have thoughts. My strong inclination was that most of the shops that opened the development wouldn’t last very long. At this stage, it’s just too hard for them. People living in the area don’t necessarily spend all that much money in the area, and right now there’s nothing much to encourage them to do so. How do independents go up against those challenges? It’s horrible out there and trading is as tough as all get out. There are very few reasons to set up shop and a billion reasons not to. But can whoever is doing the planning (I’m being optimistic here in suggesting that someone *is* planning) try and think about what is actually NEEDED and do their best to encourage some retailers who can open up opportunities for the independents. First and foremost, we need better and more diverse food shopping than that offered by Morrisons. There’s wonderful Wyndhams and - despite a slightly uninspiring start and ghastly name - Mum’s Whole Foods goes from strength to strength, but both of these are off the beaten track when you’re on foot in the centre of Brentford. The Middle Eastern shop on the north side of the High Street has some very good stuff, but it’s not exactly a sensual pleasure to shop there - and yes, I do derive enormous sensual pleasure from food shopping. Just visit a French or Italian market and feel the ripples of delight. We need some proper ‘anchor’ stores to bring people and cash into the area and provide footfall for the independents. Lidl is all well and good, but if that’s the beacon… well, it’s a bit sad isn’t it? The alternative to a vibrant High Street is total saturation by Amazon and supermarket home deliveries. Kiss goodbye to any notion of bookshops and diversity in food shopping or, indeed, any sense of community at all. |