'Everything’s leaving': Sheffield's town centre gutted by vacancies

[Stoatwobbler]

1 hour ago, dutch said:

A lot is being spent moving it all and it only benefits people from southern part of the city. Making it significant worse for others to connect with moor than it was to go to fargate.

I use M&S but if they move to moor will stop using them in city centre.

Part of this is that the North of the city is already well served by out of town retail parks and Meadowhall, so the town center is being tailored more towards the areas of Sheffield in the South where they don't have out of town retain parks. But I'm still unconvinced that having a town center only catering for a fraction of Sheffield residents is a good  thing. 

[bungleboy69]

I'd quite like to live on Fargate above the shops, down towards Coles corner would be perfect.

[ECCOnoob]

Well it's about time they put a stop to it then.   Cole Brothers has had nothing to do with two brothers called 'Cole' since 1927.  

 

It was bought by Selfridges Provincial which was itself bought by John Lewis Partnership in 1940.    It's been part of the John Lewis partnership with John Lewis stock, john Lewis service and John Lewis branding for nearly 50 years.  Its official name was changed to the parent company approaching 20 years ago.  It's even had another slight name and branding change since then.

 

There cant really be that many left to remember the good old days of that old family run department store.   For all the others who still insist on calling it coles it's just stubborn typical Sheffield mentality.

 

As for the Guardian article I think it's a complete hatchet job. 

 

They seem to pick images of a single unit for let on an otherwise completely filled Street.  They've got their facts completely wrong by claiming certain stores are closing when in fact they are simply moving to a brand new development.  Clearly it has been written by someone who is not step foot in the city because if they had they would know full well that Sheffield biggest problem with retail for decades was that it is too spread out - they are trying to fix that.   

 

High Streets are dying all over the country but for some reason this journalist has singled out most of the problems as being a Sheffield one. 

 

Maybe said journalist needs to have a wander more local to his home - having recently being in London and wandering along Oxford Street the so-called flagship of the country - it is itself looking a bit poor relation.  Plenty of cheap, touristy and tat shops piled up on there too.   Yes it may have the flag ships but a big House of Fraser with only a handful of customers in and a bargain clearance section on the top floor hardly screams a roaring success.  It may have a big shiny flagship Primark which is still just a Primark covered in glitter.  John Lewis is John Lewis but just 5 times bigger.  Debenhams is just Debenhams but with a bit more chome and a closed down patisserie-valerie sat in the middle of the menswear floor.    Every other shop is just the same as you can see on fargate or meadowhall.    One could say the only real jewel in the crown is Selfridges but let's face it - we all know full well that if such a thing opened up here a vast majority will simply walk in laugh at the price tag and walk out again.

 

All round the article had absolutely no balance.   no real insight into what the city is about and what's happening.   A pretty ropey attempt to beat some agenda at best.

 

Edited February 2, 2019 by ECCOnoob

[ECCOnoob]

24 minutes ago, bungleboy69 said:

I'd quite like to live on Fargate above the shops, down towards Coles corner would be perfect.

I would agree.

 

This is what city centres are about now mixed use.   People living, working, leisure activities and some retail all in one place.  

 

We need to move away from just turning the city centre into some glorified shopping mall.  This is what so many people obsess over and it's wrong. 

 

People forget there are other things that happen in a city.  Its the same argument that people try and use when they bang on about the city should be offering free parking everywhere just like meadowhall.  Its stupid.  They have simply no idea that there are other people coming here every day who are nothing to do with shopping.  Such free spaces will be snapped up before shoppers even got out of bed. 

[dutch]

Some people already live on fargate.

[dutch]

The walking route from train bus station to moor needs to be improved, more welcoming, decorated. They don't feel connected like they did with with fargate.

 

It's a shame there is no decent tram connection.  Bus routes are very complicated for visitors. 

 

New plans should not be made on basis of more cars coming to the city.

[Bargepole23]

1 hour ago, ECCOnoob said:

I would agree.

 

This is what city centres are about now mixed use.   People living, working, leisure activities and some retail all in one place.  

 

We need to move away from just turning the city centre into some glorified shopping mall.  This is what so many people obsess over and it's wrong. 

 

People forget there are other things that happen in a city.  Its the same argument that people try and use when they bang on about the city should be offering free parking everywhere just like meadowhall.  Its stupid.  They have simply no idea that there are other people coming here every day who are nothing to do with shopping.  Such free spaces will be snapped up before shoppers even got out of bed. 

This^^.

 

Every free space would be gone by 8am.

 

Occasionally have a coffee in m and s on Fargate, and sit at the windows thinking what happens on the upper floors of the buildings opposite. One or two appear to be store rooms, the rest seem unused.

[PRESLEY]

Really!  How can the city centre thrive when you have Crystal Peaks, Meadowhell and all the massive Supermarkets on the outskirts with  free parking its car freindly unlike the city centre.  Here is the big clue to the Cities demise. THE MAJORITY OF SHEFFIELDERS LIVE ON THE OUTSKIRTS. 

[Planner1]

42 minutes ago, PRESLEY said:

Really!  How can the city centre thrive when you have Crystal Peaks, Meadowhell and all the massive Supermarkets on the outskirts with  free parking its car freindly unlike the city centre.  Here is the big clue to the Cities demise. THE MAJORITY OF SHEFFIELDERS LIVE ON THE OUTSKIRTS. 

Strangely enough, the majority of the population in most cities lives outside the city centre. Sheffield is no different to anywhere else in this respect.

 

Name a major city anywhere in the world where the local authorities provide free parking for visitors.

 

There is ample parking in Sheffield city centre and it's significantly cheaper than most similar cities.  Parking is not the problem.

 

The attractiveness of a city depends very much on it's "offer" ie how attractive the work, leisure, cultural and retail experience is.

 

There's an increasing level of population in the city centre and the plans are for it to continue to grow. Having more jobs and homes in the city centre is the way it can prosper.

[Heyesey]

3 hours ago, ECCOnoob said:

Well it's about time they put a stop to it then.   Cole Brothers has had nothing to do with two brothers called 'Cole' since 1927.  

 

 

John Lewis died in 1928. What point did you think you had?