Monday 8 June 2015

Fake plastic shopping

On recent travels I noticed a couple of shops had shut. I know a lot of shops shut recently and there is nothing exceptional in individual shops shutting when the economy is the way it.

First up is Folk Devils in Whitby. I had been there in the last year, yet earlier on in May I walked pass and it was closed. No forwarding address, no notice. Then there's the unknown record shop in Newark. I have not been in it for at least ten years (not been in Newark more than twice in the interim years) so it shouldn't be a surprise.

Yet, should we be surprised. A recent visit to Newark had many shops replaced by restaurants. What local feel can there be if everything is generic burger and mainline clothing? There's one secondhand bookshop in Kirkstall, what chance does it stand against a monstrous new development?

Ah, and before anyone says market and cultural preferences, consider this.

A bookseller wants to sell you a book and will spend time recommending titles. It does not work with every book you buy on recommendation but generally you and the bookseller are in a win-win situation.

A property developer wants to sell land. They will generally fill their developments with the most generic, mainstream shops and coffee shops they can find because the most generic, mainstream sells the most to the largest amount of customers. The only risk they will think about is what threatens their development: if a planning office objects, use money to appeal to government. In a situation with a property developer there is only win-lose, and customers, even generic, mainstream ones, will lose out.

Considering the variety of space available in a development like Trinity it would be interesting if there was more variety in the shops. The most alt shop in there at the moment is owned by Sports Direct. There's bling but no bookshops, fashion without style.

That's what's on offer from the developers, fake plastic trees. Customers could do with real ones.

Postscript. Yes, that is a reference to Canary Wharf.

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