Sheffield City Centre - The Future

[Jack Grey]

Fultons  next to Wilkos on Haymarket is closing

 

Went past it today and most of the shelves are empty 

[Anna B]

Still no big idea to bring life back to Sheffield City centre though...

[HeHasRisen]

17 hours ago, Jack Grey said:

Fultons  next to Wilkos on Haymarket is closing

 

Went past it today and most of the shelves are empty 

They are all closing, 11 of them in Sheffield, seen something on Facebook today.

[ECCOnoob]

4 hours ago, Anna B said:

Still no big idea to bring life back to Sheffield City centre though...

I don't think it's a sort of issue that can be answered by some simplistic "big idea".

 

The failure of the High Street over the past decades is a fundamental issue across the entire nation. Something which is as a result of a multitude of factors, including a great many of us consumers changing our shopping habits and embracing (if not completely surrendering to) the lure of online commerce. 

 

Perplexes me that it always seems to be someone else's issue to deal with. Always someone else who has to come up with the answers. Why can't we start small, why can't it be us to kick start it.  We can't it be us that shuns the online giants and big box stores and get out there starting to support what's remaining on the high street locally. The more of us doing it, the more demand  gets created and the more the companies will listen flock to serve such needs.

 

Complete chicken egg scenario. They won't build until they know there is enough demand but we won't go until something get built.  We can't keep going round like that forever. Somebody has to make the first move. 

Edited February 14, 2022 by ECCOnoob

[Cyclecar]

The freeholds in the city centre ( any city centre) are invariably held by large property companies, or big financial institutions.  They maximise their returns by charging as high a rental as they can achieve. In turn, this is only affordable by large retailers. When their business model falters - for whatever reason - they close.  But the landlords still want top dollar, otherwise their properties lose book value, and their balance sheets wither.  Its a vicious circle. 

 

It was sad to see Stone the Crows close their funky shop on Barkers Pool, a big rent hike  being a factor, I believe. And I think SCC was the landlord!

 

Any up and coming retail business with a good idea cannot contemplate city centre premises, so they set up on the edge of town (as well as online). And if that business involves customers taking away  bulky objects,  then access to their vehicle is fundamental. I seem to remember that SCC wanted IKEA  to set up in the city centre - could you get a flat-pack BIlly bookcase onto a 'bus?  Watch customers coming out of Dunelm on Chesterfield Road, they all have sizeable purchases, is it any wonder Dunelm chose that location rather than set up on the "high street", and by the way they are successful. 

 

I agree with previous posters, the outlook is grim. I fear it could get worse before it gets better. 

[Wazzock]

21 hours ago, HeHasRisen said:

They are all closing, 11 of them in Sheffield, seen something on Facebook today.

They are closing all of them everywhere...

[Anna B]

16 hours ago, ECCOnoob said:

I don't think it's a sort of issue that can be answered by some simplistic "big idea".

 

The failure of the High Street over the past decades is a fundamental issue across the entire nation. Something which is as a result of a multitude of factors, including a great many of us consumers changing our shopping habits and embracing (if not completely surrendering to) the lure of online commerce. 

 

Perplexes me that it always seems to be someone else's issue to deal with. Always someone else who has to come up with the answers. Why can't we start small, why can't it be us to kick start it.  We can't it be us that shuns the online giants and big box stores and get out there starting to support what's remaining on the high street locally. The more of us doing it, the more demand  gets created and the more the companies will listen flock to serve such needs.

 

Complete chicken egg scenario. They won't build until they know there is enough demand but we won't go until something get built.  We can't keep going round like that forever. Somebody has to make the first move. 

I agree up to a point, and I have made a point of shopping locally since before the start of covid and will continue, but sadly most of the small independent shops I use have closed. But I believe our shopping habits have changed fundamentally, and will never return to pre covid levels, so we need fresh ideas for the use of city centre that does not necessarily include retail if it is to thrive as a region, indeed if Sheffield is to thrive as a whole. 

 

Sheffield City Council needs to encourage its people to come up with ideas - you can't have too many, and somebody out there might come up with an absolute winner. And IMO they have to think big to attract people from outside the region to Sheffield.

 

I thought there was a plan from Merlin entertainment to develop the Dry Ski slope area into a multi sports development, but haven't seen any changes or heard anything about it for years. This is what seems to happen, ideas come and go, but nothing happens.

I also think we could build a huge state of the art outdoor swimming venue; the nearest is a tiny pool at Hathersage, packed in summer, but in use all year round. We're a long way from the coast in Sheffield, I think it could do well and technology could ensure it was used all year round.

 

We also have a two popular Universities, and a huge university population. We could be a massive centre for research, development and innovation.

 

All this requires a lot of money, but there is a lot of money out there, and investors looking for opportunities,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[PRESLEY]

1 hour ago, Wazzock said:

They are closing all of them everywhere...

Ive heard that Fultons has been bought out by another company, not sure if thats true or not.

[Jack Grey]

14 minutes ago, PRESLEY said:

Ive heard that Fultons has been bought out by another company, not sure if thats true or not.

Yeah they were bought by Poundland who converting some shops into Poundlands but closing most of them were there is already a Poundland

[nightrider]

21 hours ago, ECCOnoob said:

I don't think it's a sort of issue that can be answered by some simplistic "big idea".

 

The failure of the High Street over the past decades is a fundamental issue across the entire nation. Something which is as a result of a multitude of factors, including a great many of us consumers changing our shopping habits and embracing (if not completely surrendering to) the lure of online commerce. 

 

Perplexes me that it always seems to be someone else's issue to deal with. Always someone else who has to come up with the answers. Why can't we start small, why can't it be us to kick start it.  We can't it be us that shuns the online giants and big box stores and get out there starting to support what's remaining on the high street locally. The more of us doing it, the more demand  gets created and the more the companies will listen flock to serve such needs.

 

Complete chicken egg scenario. They won't build until they know there is enough demand but we won't go until something get built.  We can't keep going round like that forever. Somebody has to make the first move. 

Even if it had shops back I would not go. Online is just too convenient. Now I only do shopping online or use very local independent shops in the suburb where I live ( as well as small independents online I have discovered when on holiday in the UK).