Freshney Place Grimsby is it Dead
Is the Freshney Place shopping centre in Grimsby dying on it’s feet ?
Indeed could the same be said for the high street as a whole …
Strolling round Freshney Place today I was once again struck by the number of vacant shops. A place such as this should be dead man’s shoes territory - businesses queuing to get in.
There must be at least 6 empty shops and god forbid if the mobile phone shops decide to pull out !
Recently 2 cafe areas inside the mall have closed, amazingly so has Burger King ! Granted BK suck compared to the Big M but shut down … ?
It’s not long before things start to look rundown and the smell of death starts to pervade an area - we’re not there yet but not far off in my mind - the tumbleweed is gathering.
There were quite a few people ambling and shuffling about, I always like to be different so rather than ‘ambling and shuffling’ I decided to shuffle and amble instead, but few had carrier bags !
Indeed the only place I ever see a queue to pay for anything is at fast food type outlets.
With smaller shops remaining unwanted I wonder what would happen if some of the really big units shut - who could take them on ?
Presumably, the only thing that really stops people wanting shops in this prime location must be the cost - so I did a little research - and was bowled over frankly.
Obviously it’s not cheap, size and exact location make a big difference. Some examples:
-
A milk shake bar has opened where once there was a florist, it’s small and more ‘out of the way’ as it were.
It seems they signed a 10 year lease and pay approx £25,000 per annum
It gets better, I have spoken to a few people and find it difficult to see the long-term future of a £2 bookshop that has recently opened - you’ve got to sell a lot of books !
Indeed they have with a lease costing £72,000 pa !!! Plus staff and rates etc …
Their ambitions could be further hampered by having stock like The Joys and History of caviar perhaps not the most sought after book in GY 
I also found details of Superdrug, bigger place location near the £2 book shop incidentally - rent £200,000 pa
This all left me with several questions buzzing inside my head
Witches of Eastwick said,
September 20, 2007 @ 8:53 pm
Rod,
There’s not as much high street shopping going on these days, people shop on-line, saves time and parking expenses. Mind you a good point in question is our local craft shop … we gave it six months but more than a year later it’s gone from strength to strength selling expensive card making goods. Apparently the business is on-line as well so presumably takes more from that source than from casual shoppers. Just shows though that it’s hard to judge who will survive and who will fail. We’ve lost two retail outlets this summer and who knows what profits the others are making? A park and ride tram system that’s what Lincoln needs like Sheffield, where public transport seems to work well as far as we can remember.
Our plans for an ‘underground’ for our beloved market town have once again been thrown out by the Council
so perhaps our next business venture might be WoEs Rickshaw Taxi, ecologically sound and very glamorous, but as yet without driver so we’ll have to lean heavily on the good will of the Tuesday gathering. Never was there a job more tailor-made for you Rod and we’ll give you a nosebag of gougere for inflight refuelling 
WoE
p.s. yes a bell is necessary for a bicycle - vital for a rickshaw travelling at speed
Little Brother said,
September 20, 2007 @ 9:42 pm
WoE,
I’ve been on a rickshaw in the middle of a Bangkok rush hour, the last thing on my mind was if he had a bell!
Little Brother said,
September 20, 2007 @ 9:47 pm
Rod,
Good post, the problem with Freshney Place is the death wish that is the flooring-bloody awful. The internet is the thing now, far more choice, better service and much cheaper. I feel for the smaller shops who really try their hardest, it’s the big stores full of staff who couldn’t give a monkey’s that get my goat.
I’m going to start an internet meals on wheels service before it’s too late!
LB
Rod said,
September 21, 2007 @ 9:07 am
WoE
you mention the local craft shop, a great shop superbly laid out and run by a great lady who is both enthusiastic and hard working.
It’s great to see shops like that surviving.
When rental rates are more realistic different shops can stay open, not sure how many shops in your town would remain open on £72k pa rent though !
From what I understand there is alrteady a thriving ‘underground market’ there
Best
RC
Jordan said,
September 21, 2007 @ 9:08 am
The problem is the unemployment. If a place lacks the industry it just breeds poverty.
I visited Grimsby a long time ago and I was shocked at the amount of poverty there was. There just seemed to be a lot of over-weight, scruffy people with children by the score. It’s not a town that you really think ‘let’s go there for a day out’
The Great in Grimsby has long since been dropped; the once thriving fish industry is no longer.
As for shops anywhere, if people have money then shops do well, the closure of shops and the re-opening of £ shops and discount shops, are all that poverty towns can accommodate.
Rod said,
September 21, 2007 @ 9:11 am
LB
tell me about the floor !
You cannot wear leather soled shoes !
Internet sales brings an interesting dimension. It does not have to be a huge surge to put shops out of business. A shop could easily be surviving on a profit level of 5% of turnover.
That being so, 5% drop in sales to the internet doesn’t seem much on the face of it but is enogh to put them out of business
RC