if
it's about Cardiff..
Sport, Entertainment, Transportation, Business,
Development Projects, Leisure, Eating, Drinking,
Nightlife, Shopping, Train Spotting! etc.. then we want it here!
The PR / Press Office do an admiral job trying to paint this as a wonderful thing: a response to what customrers want in one of their "strong performers". But they ultimately fail.
This is pretty bad news for both the store, the Capitol and the city more widely. A store previously able to sell full priced new season items is shifting to selling discounted last season's clothing, and some "items specially designed for our outlet customers" (i.e. cheap stuff!). This suggests the city is being hit pretty hard when it comes to retail spend. I've had a feeling this is the case for a while. When retailers like Pumpkin Patch, Barratts, Pulp, The Entertainer, etc, have gone into administration, their Cardiff stores have been some of the first to go.
I see this as a pretty bad news story however the PR guys want to sell it!
I wonder if retail will recover to pre 2008 levels in the next decade if at all? Was the late 90's/early 00's the high watermark for retail activity?
There have been quite a few high profile casualties over the last 4 years or so and the way that internet shopping is growing there are bound to be some more. I can't see established retailers stepping in and expanding their presence in city centres anytime soon or many new entrants into the market. We have already seen international retailers like Springfield and Pumpkin Patch crash and burn in the UK within a couple of years and Forever 21 and presumably many others appear to be scaling back expansion plans.
I wonder if this is just a contraction back to normal levels (ie not fuelled by massive consumer borrowing) or are we seeing a fundamental change in retail? I think a bit of both - some of the retail chains that came along a few years ago had an offer that was incredibly weak and it was only a matter of time before they went into admin. But at the same time I can see a fundamental change in the way that people buy things. Some people in my office use Waterstones/HMV etc as a place to browse and pick things they'll buy cheaper on the net when they get home. They do the same with electrical goods, furniture, even clothes.
I think SD2 could be one of the last malls of that size we see built in Britain for some period of time.
Gamegroup (Game, Gamestation, Gameplay) apparantly failed to reach an agreement with EA (one of the World's largest game developers and publishers) to sell their titles in their stores in future - including possible "blockbusters"/"bestsellers". Loads of pre-orders have been cancelled causing general inconvenience.
Just wondering if this hints at much deeper problems behind the scenes.
If its true about Weird Fish then the old St Davids has had a torrid time since Xmas, losing about 6 units in 2 months (Baci have been taken off the St Davids store map for a couple of weeks).
Baci only opened recently. Perhaps the appetite for bras wasn't as insatiable as thought? Just noticed they had a Groupon voucher (not sure when) for £13 for a £30 voucher for the store. Not a sign of a successfully trading business. Interesting thing is that it says vouchers can only be redeemed in store and are valid until June 2012. I wonder how many people bought the voucher and are now out of pocket?
I think it was a mistake for them to launch in Cardiff. Cardiff consumers are conservative. If they don't know the name they won't go in the store. They follow our kind-of national animal, the Sheep. Baci should launch in London, make a name then spread across the country.
I noticed today that there are hoardings up for another Cafe Nero - this time it's on the ground floor of the former Bennetton shop in the Capitol Shopping Centre.
I don't think anyone else has already posted this opening on this forum have they?
Interesting. I know they split this unit (or had a planning app do to this). Wonder whats going upstairs?
I bet Soho Coffee inside will be a little bit annoyed as I imagine they have been hit hard by the decline in footfall already. And this will just give them an extra, more visible, competitor.
Baci only opened recently. Perhaps the appetite for bras wasn't as insatiable as thought? Just noticed they had a Groupon voucher (not sure when) for £13 for a £30 voucher for the store. Not a sign of a successfully trading business. Interesting thing is that it says vouchers can only be redeemed in store and are valid until June 2012. I wonder how many people bought the voucher and are now out of pocket?
I think it was a mistake for them to launch in Cardiff. Cardiff consumers are conservative. If they don't know the name they won't go in the store. They follow our kind-of national animal, the Sheep. Baci should launch in London, make a name then spread across the country.
In this circumstance I don't think it's fair to attribute Baci's failure to conservative Welsh shopping habits. The unit was not in the right place for that kind of thing and their video "window" could be considered slightly offensive and/or intimidating - it featured a number porn star looking women in very provocative poses. I mean REALLY provocative, I know a number of other businesses in that part of the centre complained to the management team.
Looks like Millets in Duke St is closing down. There appears to be a clearance sale going on so unless it's getting ready for a major refurb it seems to me that another one is getting ready to bite the dust.
On the general subject of Duke St I find it really down at heel considering it fronts the castle. The Rummer is a nice building (just had a paint job) and the Duke st arcade building and the building that now houses Subway are decent but the rest are really quite dire. The problem is it's neither a primary shopping street or office location so the incentive for landlords to renovate is not there. One of the units (where Jessops used to be) has been empty for about 3 years now and I wonder how long the Millets unit will take to be filled.
Just up the road in Castle St the unit that was occupied by Blacks is occupied by a Nisa mini supermarket.
There's a lovely picture hung on the temporary fencing outside the castle of how it will look once the paving outside the front gate is finished. From the top of High street to the gate itself will be basically a square. On days when Castle street is closed to traffic this will be a wonderful asset to the city, and pretty good on all other days too. I say "a square" because that will be the shape of the paving. I am glad that the rape of this historic structure by the ticket portacabin is at an end, even though it's little bro is there for a few more weeks. I've tried to find this picture online but in vain.
What surprises me with Duke Street is that it hasn't attracted more businesses aimed at tourists. The existing gift shop seems to do very well and it's odd that other businesses haven't tried to cash-in on the Castle's footfall.
Firstly, the junction at the end of Duke Street is terrible. The majority of people walking from Canton to town would surely go down Westgate Street and cross there, rather than the guaranteed wait to cross by the Angel hotel.
Secondly, there is a great pub underneath the Angel that is closed off. Shame on them really, could be a great venue but they don't seem to have a vision for it. Would make a difference to that street.
I used to frequent the Angel Tavern quite often. There was a number of pubs around that area - Fat Sams and the Green Parrott as well as Four Bars Inn (now Dempseys) and the much lamented Horse and Groom.
It used to be frequented mostly by 6th form students and there were quite a few incidents in there as I recall. Also it was a cellar bar so there was no view of the castle etc which would have made it appealing for tourists etc. I'd like to see it open again although I suspect that Barcelo hotels wouldn't touch it with a barge pole. Perhaps if the units at ground level of the Angel (currently empty) were turned into a decent restaurant/bar that may be commercially viable. Great views of the castle and animal wall etc.
Sadly these units seem to be unlettable which is strange given their location but I think we've probably discussed that particular conundrum elsewhere on this forum.
What surprises me with Duke Street is that it hasn't attracted more businesses aimed at tourists. The existing gift shop seems to do very well and it's odd that other businesses haven't tried to cash-in on the Castle's footfall.
The dirty great road in between the shops and the castle doesn't really help with this. Pedestrians are funnelled off to Queen street or down St. Mary St, and without wide pavements, cafes or restaurants on Duke St. visitors will just go off wandering elsewhere.
Mr Appeasement
There's a lovely picture hung on the temporary fencing outside the castle of how it will look once the paving outside the front gate is finished. From the top of High street to the gate itself will be basically a square. On days when Castle street is closed to traffic this will be a wonderful asset to the city, and pretty good on all other days too. I say "a square" because that will be the shape of the paving. I am glad that the rape of this historic structure by the ticket portacabin is at an end, even though it's little bro is there for a few more weeks. I've tried to find this picture online but in vain.
Now if we closed Duke St to the majority of traffic or even all traffic, the Castle Quarter would become a beautiful place. Whilst car is king though, it'll just be pie in the sky.
An application to turn Jessops in Churchill Way into the Churchill Cocktail Lounge. Bit of an odd one - lets see how the saturation zone policy stands up.
As part of a plan to expand to 30 stores in the UK, Crocs, purveyor of plastic shoes worn by fashion criminals is recruiting for a store manager for its new and soon-to-close Cardiff store:
I noticed Shared Earth had gone as well. Its a shame.. I wanted to buy one of their fair trade re-usable hemp bags for a couple of friends of mine. Interesting caption on the bag: "Use me until my bottom wears out". I guess they only found a small market for such things.
Coffee #1 expansion continues - they are looking to move into a unit in the Aspect. I've always though there was an untapped market here with the various offices on Newport Rd and Queen St station round the corner. With Cafe Nero going across the road as well looks like that should satisfy everyone!
Cardiff Ian - are you my alter ego? Or am I yours? Whilst writing that post about Coffee No 1 I had a strange feeling of deja vu....
Was just glancing through the planning apps as I was bored in work! Incidentally my new geek discovery on the council website is the Roadworks report (I'm sure Karl will find this interesting as well!).
Peacocks have as well (although they are next door to each other aren't they?). Even though I never went shopping in there, the sight of the empty unit (yesterday) packed quite a punch when I remembered that not so long ago this was lauded as the home-grown retail success story.
Azendi are closing on the Hayes and Fred Perry are taking its place this year!
Shoon are also closing down on the Hayes so this could be a perfect little space for Ted Baker. Ted Baker would only be interested in a more heritage and traditional site for a store in Cardiff and aren't interested in St Davids so this could be a perfect store location for them, and a great addition to the Hayes!!
Azendi are closing on the Hayes and Fred Perry are taking its place this year!
Shoon are also closing down on the Hayes so this could be a perfect little space for Ted Baker. Ted Baker would only be interested in a more heritage and traditional site for a store in Cardiff and aren't interested in St Davids so this could be a perfect store location for them, and a great addition to the Hayes!!
I think the Peacocks unit was something like £1 million a year.
St David's do find themselves in a difficult position though. The development cost something like £750 million. That means they need to be looking at something like at least £40 million in rent to reach a decent yield. Some of the big anchor units like John Lewis and Debenhams will be paying peanuts. So that means high rents on the mid and small sized units.
I think Peacocks will make a reappearance in the city centre of Cardiff. Not sure what kind of rent cut they would need to go back in St Davids. Might be able to cut a better deal in Queen Street, which was actually a better unit in my view. Being over 3 levels it allowed an easier configuration in to different departments/sections (e.g. mens, childrens, accessories, etc).
A million quid a year for that shitty old unit under the walkway - you can't be serious.
If they were getting a million a year for that then no wonder Peacocks went bust. I need a lie down.
I think we may have tread similar ground before but how much crap would Peacocks have had to shift to turn a buck on that rent not to mention utilities, staff costs, rates etc etc? Is it any wonder that retailers are going down like ninepins?
As for the Habitat building are we to assume another Sainsbury's/Tescos/Waitrose?
Gamegroup (Game, Gamestation, Gameplay) apparantly failed to reach an agreement with EA (one of the World's largest game developers and publishers) to sell their titles in their stores in future - including possible "blockbusters"/"bestsellers". Loads of pre-orders have been cancelled causing general inconvenience.
Just wondering if this hints at much deeper problems behind the scenes.
What's with all the sweet shops popping up. There is one in the Queens arcade, one in St Davids and one on Queen Street. I've just walked past the capitol and there is another Americandy shop going where that cheapo clothes shop was (called looks). They all look incredibly tacky too. Thankfully, I love sweets.
I've noticed that. We've gone from hardly any to a fair few of them. I'm kind of suprised that we've never had them before.
One less of them now - while walking through town last night I noticed the one next to the Carphone Warehouse on Queen Street (possibly called Sugacane?) has closed down and the store is up for sale.
Never mind though because there is still the New York Candy Co. almost directly opposite in the Capitol Centre, and Americandy in Queens Arcade, Wally's in Morgan Arcade, etc....
More mixed news for the city centre / Capital Shopping Centre.
On the one hand it would be a disaster if this unit remained empty, a fate the centre can ill afford, whereas it would also be a major downgrade of the centre's aspirations should some of the prime units in the centre be taken over by Tesco.
I don't like Tesco, and I represent that by rarely choosing to shop there. I don't have a problem with them per se, and they have a right to exist, and I don't think it would particularly show a lack of aspiration.
I abhor the saturation policy though. It's a charter for idiots, and it's a major factor in who I choose to vote for in the forthcoming local elections
The cinema and Littlewoods have been closed down for an age and yet they haven't done anything with the units. Effectively they present a blank facade to the millions who pour out of Queen St station per annum. Imagine the footfall if they could have reconfigured to allow people to walk through the centre on their way to Queen St.
Also SD2 has been planned for at least a decade. They must have known the scale of it and could have forseen the impact it would have had. They just weren't nimble enough to react. They could have changed the emphasis to A3 to counteract the retail heart of the city shifting towards the Hayes. But they didn't and the chances of that happening now are minimal with the saturation zone policy.
The biggest unit and the centre's showcase to the public at large has not had a permanent tenant since Zavvi went under some 4-5 years ago. They have got Sports Direct in on what must be a short term rolling lease and they have effectively turned the main entrance into a huge advertisment for a closing down sale. Inexorably the centre gets dragged downmarket and now they have to take Tesco's shilling to get it let. How will tenants such as Fat Face, Jaeger, Phase 8 etc react to that? Do they want to be associated with a centre where an ever decreasing number of units are retail?
I think they are also guilty of hubris. An old client of mine had a shop in the centre. He was squeezed on a rent review and in terms of service charge because he felt they wanted to get independents out and get a high street chain in. He has left and the unit he occupied has been empty for 2 years.
I think at best the management have been complacent with the result that the Capitol appears to be sliding towards bargain basement territory.
There was that plan for a tower of flats on the cinema site which hit the floor with the property market, so they had made some plans. They were just useless ones.
Back when they came out I remember some of us on this forum slamming it for the colour scheme and blockyness and all the rest, when the colour scheme of the latest planned tall building was the big thing on this forum, not realising what the economy had in store just around the corner...
So does Tesco looking at the virgin megastore unit mean the plans for a gym in the upstairs bit have gone? Or is Tesco just downstairs and the gym plan is still on?
^^^^^ this is exactly what I was wondering, and also will tescos have an entrance within the the shopping mall or will it have an entrance fronting onto churchill way/queen street only, in which case tescos wont even provide much needed additional footfall for the centre.
I think it was more or less inevitable that the eastern end of Queen Street would become more of a secondary shopping area following the development of SD2 and the pedestrinisation of High Street and Saint Mary Street.
The retail axis has always swung back and forth between St Mary Street, The Hayes and Queen Street. It's no great surprise that it's happening again.
The Capital Centre is a pretty dated development by now. I wouldn't be surprised to see the whole area redevoloped when the economy gets moving again.
where in the capital did the cinema and littlewoods use to be? :P
Littlewoods Index, similar to Argos, had a basement store with its own external entrance on the corner of Queen Street and Station Terrace.
The "old" Odeon Cinema occupied the corner of the centre between Station Terrace and North Edward Street, with its entrance on Station Terrace opposite the Aspect apartments parking structure. I think it had 5 screens and possibly still intact inside despite been closed for a very long time.
Looks like Evans Cycles will be opening in the old Hypervalue unit under the MSCP on Dumfries Place. Good news for us cyclists. Since Halfords on the Hayes and Chris Harris Cycles on Bridge St went when SD2 was developed there have been no proper bike shops in the city centre.
