if
it's about Cardiff..
Sport, Entertainment, Transportation, Business,
Development Projects, Leisure, Eating, Drinking,
Nightlife, Shopping, Train Spotting! etc.. then we want it here!
Limerick House in Churchill Way (the old building next to Landmark Place) now has signage saying Ivory Tiger. I have no idea what this is - bar, shop, restaurant etc. It was mooted to be a restaurant previously. If so good news for that end of town.
Not such positive news - 2 shops in High St arcade are closing. The Wishing Tree which I think retails things for kids and Nice which sold gadgets, fancy household stuff etc.
I make it 4 empty units in that arcade now - those 2 plus the 2 units that were previously occupied by Buzz who have now connsolidated everything into one big unit.
I've spoken to some store owners and I think the problem is that they are so conservative and so focused on the "bottom line" in the short run that they aren't innovating and marketing themselves well enough in a city which has just seen a fairly significant expansion in its retail offer. Where is the website for the arcades? Where are the special events? The landlord (I think both this and Duke Street Arcade are all owned by the same landlord) should also be much more proactive in managing their space. But the small business owners could all chip in say £100, to be matched by the landlord, and they could get a pretty good website up online which had an arcade map, some history, some photos and small store profile pages with links to their main websites.
Mermaid Quay is a much bigger place but they successfully put on events on a very regular basis and these attract people in the off-season when it might otherwise be quiet. The arcades need to do this as well. They need a USP. Theres quite a little set of fashion shops in the High Street arcade. Why not organise a mini fashion show? It could be very cheap - get friends or 'customers' to model. Just pump out a little music and have a few lights that can be powered from the shops, and a couple of bottles of cheap plonk. The Echo would surely cover it and you'd get a fair few people into the stores to see whats on offer.
I think I posted on here a few years ago that I chatted with some of the retailers in the arcades about a collective website promoting the arcades - the response was startling. Some (eg Hawkes Essentials) have very good sites (albeit informational not transactional) other retailers looked at me like I was speaking a totally foreign language. This is where, though, collectively, they would be much greater than the sum of the parts. There seems to be no impetus to innovate.
I think aa buskers hour would be great. Try to cobble together loads of musicians in the arcades for an hour..a kind of musical magical mystery tour. It would be fantastic. In fact, I may mention it to the Millennium Music Press people.
The guy who plays the Welsh national anthem (amongst other things) on his guitar was down Royal Arcade the other day. It was very, very atmospheric. I'd like to think it made a lasting impression on visitors. A great idea.
Plenty of good idea's here from people who I assume are not retailers and idea's that would not be excessively expensive to implement. Meantime quite a few of the retailers are content to moan that Cardiff Council are ruining their lives because of whats happened in St Mary St.
Maybe we could move in that old man who stands near Boots in Queen Street crooning into his plastic loudhaler! (Mind you haven't seen him for a while, maybe he's gone on to contract with Simon Cowell)
I work as a web developer and I was working on the new website for Royal and Morgan arcades just before Christmas. Development is done so it will go live when the owners are ready (not sure when that will be though)
I realise that a fair number of retailers think Helical bar have increased rents - but they were very low relative to the rest of the city and this had left little for the upkeep of the arcades which now look much better, and just as importantly, are much more structurally sound. I think they are being fairly proactive as landlords and although they get the vast majority of their rent rolls from the units fronting the Hayes they haven't ignored the needs of the arcades.
The owner of Wally's is a bit of a self-publicist but he does a great job of it. Perhaps a bit more of this "go get 'em" attitude would help other retailers. I think a problem is many small retailers do it as a "lifestyle choice" and they aren't really willing to put the effort and capital in thats needed to make the most of their businesses' potential. I think Wally's expansion and temporary store in SD2 shows just what can be done with a bit of imagination, risk-taking and shrewd planning.
Last time i went through the morgan arcade i wasnt impressed by the lavender colour they have painted it, but more the glass on the roof had gotten very dirty (ie bird shit), do they have a regular windoe cleaner?
Apparently not, although I think the decision will be overturned on appeal. A licence until 7pm for example seems to be a good compromise.
I fully understand why the council don't want to give licences to premnises that have not been licensed before but there needs to be a certain amount of pragmatism involved especially when the geographical limits to this policy seem so arbitary.
I support the policy, and I think it has contributed to diversifying the night life in Cardiff and helped to make Church Street, Mill lane, Womanby Street, Westgate Street etc a bit more interesting, whereas previously most potential bar/club owners would probably have looked at St Mary Street first.
Personally I think St Mary street is going to be great in a couple of years time. The biggest moaner seems to be that bloke from ther music shop, who's persistent negativity is doing a lot of damage in my opinion.
Tesco don't sell booze, so I don't see why Sainsbury's would have the restriction overturned.
Have Tesco appealed and if so what was the outcome?
I think the council really have to use a degree of common sense here. Two doors down from Tesco's is a wine shop, two doors up a Spar and across the road is a Bargain Booze. I don't know what criteria the Council use when deciding applications for licences but surely they would have to have a sound reason for denying the licence. Outside of saturation (surely a case of stable shutting after horse bolting particularly after they have encouraged concentration of licenced premises in certain area's such as Greyfriars) what would they be able to claim as a sound reason?
I don't give a monkeys if Tesco's gets a licence or not but I just find the situation perverse that they be denied when if (as mooted) Waitrose open in Working St they probably will (as Jamies Italian and Carluccios etc have) as this policy doesn't apply there. Despite there only being about 200 yds between the two premises.
I also think the places in Westgate St and Womamby St would have opened there whatever the Councils policy as part of their usp is that they are away from the hen/stag party strip in a slightly 'cooler' area. Conversely it means that certain premises in St Mary St will be virtually unlettable now - look at the old Giles Sports on the corner of Caroline st. It's been empty for about 5 years now. Who is likely to take over the old Crouch unit near to the Cottage etc
They aren't too bad a store! I think they currently have one in Cardiff Bay Retail Park, but a city centre location is more common for them - they're in Cambridge city centre, for instance.
In the next few months they'll have to find tenants for the Envy store, and the Monsoon store.
Oh it turns out Bank are owned by JD so perhaps they had time left on their tenancy and the expansion opportunity came along and was too good to be missed.
Not surprised! It was very very quiet in there over the Christmas period. Tis a shame - they actually did pretty decent suits for pretty decent value. But I don't think they have positioned themselves very well in the market. Indeed, the name doesn't really work, imho
The greasy spoon cafe in Quay St (Bistro One ) has taken over the vacant unit next to it (used to be a chinese takeaway and prior to that a betting shop).
It actually looks quite smart with new awnings and a bit of a spruce up.
Planning applications also refer to a restaurant unit being placed in ground floor of Summit House in Windsor Place (thats the 8-9 storey bulding just across the way from Buffalo).
I've said before that I am quite enthusiastic about developments around the Womanby Street area, which I think has a lot of potential to be 'Cardiff's Temple Bar'. I totally support this concept of a 'castle quarter' if its marketed and managed in the right way, ideally including the businesses around there so it's not just a rubbish council tag.
It's a shame that godawful car park is stuck there. How the hell did things like that ever get planning permission when it is sandwiched in the historical heart of the city, close to streets of architectural merit such as St Mary Street, Womanby Street and Westgate St.
I remain unconvinced about the Castle Quarter. I can't think of a central theme that can bring together what is quite a disperate area.
The car park could be improved if it was brightened up a bit. I think "authorised" grafiti can work sometimes. Or put one of those photos printed onto Mesh. Something to detract from its ugliness, at least on the Womanby Street side.
I saw this and was initially fairly excited. However, it is actually quite dispiriting. Capitol Centre has signed a luggage store and got Lobster Bob to move in - both on short term leases. Hardly a ringing endoresement for the centre. I know its good to get variety and some local or smaller retailers BUT a major national player taking a store would have been an indication of confidence.
They only left the Bay a year or so ago, and they have a nice little store on Queen Street and a small deli next to it. I think it would be a mistake for them to move, so hopefully it's taking on a second unit?
I do see a few people wearing the Lobster Bob logo around town, so hopefully they are doing well.
I can't say I'm excited about a luggage store. In fact, it's hard to think of anything more dull. Imagine working in such a place!
Borders on The Hayes is in the process of being gutted. Any news if anyone is moving in?
Also the unit behind it? I think its being used as an art gallery at the moment. I think thats going to be a difficult one to sell as a retail space so a gallery is a good second option. Or perhaps a cafe?
now up and running! A pretty decent website. If the High Street and Duke Street Arcades, and Castle Arcade could get proper websites now that would be great!
No news on the Borders unit, although Forever 21, a US store a bit like a cross between H&M (i.e. cheap) and New Look (i.e. very cheap and mostly women's) is looking for stores in the UK and looks for spaces 20,000 to 50,000 square feet. They have looked in London, Brum and a few other cities, and Cardiff is probably on their hit list so this store (about 25,000 square feet is it?) could be a good bet for them!
The old Lakeland store might be difficult to let; it was just sold fairly recently at quite a decent yield though, so someone has fair confidence in it! It is only a stones throw from the Hayes, is next do House of Fraser. It should be able to get something.
It's already let to Cotswold Outdoor something or other. They moved in days after Lakeland moved out.
It's another outdoor store for Cardiff to join BlAcks, Millets, Field and Trek, Go Outdoors, Kudos plus others no doubt. All of the above seem to suggest that the city is populated by rugged outdoors types who spend their weekends trecking up to the Brecon Beacons to go wild camping then hunting their own breakfast whilst clad in expensive lightweight gear. I have to say thats not the impression I get when I see the average Cardiffian shuffling in the queue at Maccy Dees/Greggs.
I know loads of people that use these shops and that Go Outdoors place on Newport Road. There seems to have been a real take up of mountain walking and the like over the last year or so.
There must be a business case for all of these shops to open so perhaps we in south Wales are rugged outdoorsy types after all.
One thing I've noticed is that since Halfords and Chris Harris Cycles went there isn't a cycle shop in the city centre. The nearest are at the top of Cathedral Rd near the Halfway pub, Crwys Rd or Broadway. With cycling becoming more popular surely there must be a gap in the market for someone?
Agents: Insight Architects and Designers Ltd, Mr. Nick Lacey, 66 Weymouth Avenue, Ealing, LONDON, W5 4SB
Proposal: NEW SHOP FRONT AND SHOP FRONT ALTERATIONS
At: BORDERS, 14 THE HAYES, CITY CENTRE, CARDIFF, CF10 1AH
An application for A3 in the old H Samuel/Aveda unit facing St Mary St (on ground floor of Central Market). It may just be that the owners (parent co of H Samuel) want the planning permission to make it more attractive to potential occupiers.
I read a report in the WM (sorry I can't remember which day) that the old Zavvi unit in the Capitol centre is under offer to a sports retailer. Can't be JD surely? Possibly JJB or another Sports Direct?
The report also said that when this is taken into account thee are only 2 empty units in the whole of the centre - 1 downstairs, 1 upstairs. Thats some comeback.