Potters Bar Forum

Has this finaly closed?
I have lived in potters bar for 27years and it seems to be going downhill
what would happen if woolworths goes?

Not sure about Data Mate but there are certainly a few empty units on Darkes Lane now (and a couple for sale). The only shops that appear to be doing well are the hairdressers/barbars !
Why is that ?

Scotts Florists is also gone !

mungroo Wrote:Scotts Florists is also gone !

I know - I was surprised when I saw that had closed!

dont need more barbers there is a very good one down cranbourne apart from woolworths and boots, pound shop,sainsburys there is nothing in potters bar to come for i remember there was

texas
halfords
days cycle
thurlys the toy shop
murphys
pb radio
and more potters bar had a few good shops but now its gone down hill

Rainbow Dreams (toy shop) has also left Darkes Lane recently

I have renamed this topic "Shop Closures in Darkes Lane", as it now more accurately reflects the content.

< Topic Renamed >

so why is this ?
other towns seem to be very busy.
is it demographics ? is it the wrong type of shops ? it can't be a parking issue !
is it Tesco/Sainsburys killing the small shops ?

I think its to do with a number of reasons, such as out-of-town shopping centres, supermarkets and internet shopping.

According to the Green Party:-

Quote:

• Between 1995 and 2000, we lost one fifth of our local shops and services including post-offices, banks, butchers and grocers.
• In 1960, small independent retailers had a 60% share of the food retail market. By 2000, their share was reduced to 6% while the multiples share increased to 88%
• Our local high streets and shops are dying. Independent shops in the town centre are closing down and taking cinemas, cafes and banks with them. They leave behind deserted high streets and communities which are isolated from essential services.
• Both local high streets, and local food producers are being damaged by chains and large out-of-town superstores. These attract customers away from independent shops and overwhelmingly source their produce from abroad, and their services "in house".
  

Apparently, just one unsuitable out-of-town store can:
- Close down every village shop within a seven mile radius.
- Generate £25,000 (2) of pollution damages per week (mainly through car trips).
- Lose a community 276 jobs.

Click here to see the full report.

With supermarkets also cutting prices, especially on non-food items like clothes, coupled with the ability for customers to just pick them up on their weekly shop, its little wonder local, independant shops end up closing down.

On a side note, I was amazed to see that fridge shop open on Darkes Lane.

I went to Tesco today near my work in central London. They have now almost tripled the number of checkouts with half of them being the new self serve types - all desined to get you in and out of there as quickly as possible.
The little man in the little shop has absolutely NO CHANCE. If you are a small retailer, you simply cannot compete with this.

This might answer a few of your questions... I had a look into it after seeing your posts and did a story in this week's Potters Bar Edition. Please do get in touch if you have anything to add or I can help any more!

See

http://www.whtimes.co.uk/content/whtimes/n...3A50%3A46%3A550

Laurel Wrote:This might answer a few of your questions... I had a look into it after seeing your posts and did a story in this week's Potters Bar Edition. Please do get in touch if you have anything to add or I can help any more!

Read your article Laurel, very interesting, but I always thought that Sainsbury's owned the shops at Sainsbury's Place and were leaving them vacant with the view to use them if they ever wanted to expand the store?

You're right... Apparently, they do own them and have often talked about extending their premises into them, but have yet to do so. In the meantime I think they still look to rent them out. But because of this potential future plan the tenancies for the shops are for short periods of time.

However, this has the unfortunate effect of putting other tenants from taking up one of the shops. Why go to a shorter tenancy which they potentially could lose if they can have a longer and potentially more permanent one elsewhere? I guess that's the thinking which keeps many of them empty...

I think the location, which is a little hidden, puts potential tenants off too.

I suppose the location is a little hidden, but right next to the train station would be good for say, a newsagents or sandwich store - but I suppose their is already a newsagents type place in the station.

I have recently moved away from Potters Bar but still come back to lurk on this board from time to time. It seems to be a totally different story where I am now (not a million miles away either). As well as a large major shopping street with many well known stores there are several small shopping areas which is more where you'd go to do your day to day bits and pieces. They all have quite a vibrant atmosphere to them and the shops include such things as hardware, vacuum cleaner seller/repairer, baker, furniture store, corner shop, mirror/glass shop, florist. In the main they are not chains. One such area has a supermarket on the other side of the road. Another has a small supermarket alongside.

I can't work out what has gone wrong with Potters Bar. I still come back quite often and it has just gone down hill so much over the past few years.