http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ CityCyclingEdinburgh Forum » Topic: Where will the cyclists shop when the stores are empty? en Tue, 19 May 2026 13:16:04 +0000 http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19816#post-314211 Thu, 12 Sep 2019 21:15:40 +0000 the canuck 314211@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>shops could also consider being open at times when most people aren't already working.</p> <p>and amen to drivers being paid hourly, they'd feel less pressure to drive and park like idiots. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19816#post-314201 Thu, 12 Sep 2019 18:42:00 +0000 chdot 314201@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>“</p> <p>Philip Green’s Topshop and Topman chains slumped to a £505m loss last year as sales fell and the retail tycoon wrote down the value of two of his flagship brands.</p> <p>Sales at the fashion brands fell 9% to £846.8m in the year to 1 September as they struggled to compete with the likes of Asos, H&amp;M and Primark. In the UK sales fell by 9.8%.</p> <p>“</p> <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2019/sep/12/philip-green-topshop-and-topman-report-505m-loss" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2019/sep/12/philip-green-topshop-and-topman-report-505m-loss</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19816#post-314113 Wed, 11 Sep 2019 11:19:49 +0000 neddie 314113@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>made worse by Amazon operating out of lowly taxed sheds</em></p> <p>For starters, Amazon should be made to pay their (existing) tax obligations instead of using workarounds like declaring losses in one country against profits in another.</p> <p>Then, there should be tax on the Amazon delivery vans, so they pay their true cost of the congestion, loading/parking space taken and environmental and road/pavement damage they cause.</p> <p>And finally, internet delivery drivers should be paid an hourly wage in line with minimum wage, and other employment protections, instead of piecemeal money. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19816#post-314111 Wed, 11 Sep 2019 10:31:09 +0000 gembo 314111@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>think to survive on the high street now [in that physical location] you have to own the building. I assume the LBS up Slateford way is in that position? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19816#post-314109 Wed, 11 Sep 2019 10:04:14 +0000 chdot 314109@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>“</p> <p>They pointed out that retailers account for around 5% of the British economy but pay about 10% of all business taxes and about 25% of business rates.</p> <p>“</p> <p>On the face of it that’s a significant problem - made worse by Amazon operating out of lowly taxed sheds. </p> <p>Previously (and continuing) threats have been lack/price of parking - and perhaps more that ‘out of town’ has free parking. </p> <p>Things that successive Govs have failed to do much about. </p> <p>Now there’s the internet. </p> <p>Some retailers have made good use of this, some haven’t. </p> <p>No shop has a ‘right to exist’. The ones that close don’t make enough money to cover their costs. </p> <p>Maybe because they don’t sell things people want at a price they are prepared to pay. </p> <p>Maybe successive owners have extracted a disproportionate share of the profits. </p> <p>Maybe people are actually thinking about buying less stuff. </p> <p>Etc. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19816#post-314106 Wed, 11 Sep 2019 09:30:14 +0000 neddie 314106@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Is it so bad that the big chain stores are being replaced by independents and the following:?</p> <p>Takeaways 26<br /> Sports &amp; health clubs 17<br /> Pet shops 9<br /> Convenience stores 7<br /> Specialist clothing 7<br /> Value retailer 7<br /> Supermarkets 6<br /> Specialist health 5<br /> Cake shops/patisseries 4<br /> Art &amp; antiques</p> <p>Maybe not the takeaways... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19816#post-314103 Wed, 11 Sep 2019 09:02:34 +0000 chdot 314103@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/sep/11/retailers-call-for-action-as-high-street-store-closures-soar" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/sep/11/retailers-call-for-action-as-high-street-store-closures-soar</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19816#post-313805 Fri, 06 Sep 2019 14:22:47 +0000 chdot 313805@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Strangely no mention of bikes or cycle lanes -</p> <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/sep/06/philip-greens-retail-empire-faces-uncertain-future-without-new-funds" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/sep/06/philip-greens-retail-empire-faces-uncertain-future-without-new-funds</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19816#post-313568 Mon, 02 Sep 2019 20:47:32 +0000 chdot 313568@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/sep/02/mike-ashley-wants-to-eliminate-debenhams-as-a-competitor-court-hears" rel="nofollow">https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/sep/02/mike-ashley-wants-to-eliminate-debenhams-as-a-competitor-court-hears</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19816#post-313516 Mon, 02 Sep 2019 10:56:56 +0000 mgj 313516@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Maybe it can all be fixed with pony rides (in joke in relation to Mr Buckle, who at one time had three spoof twitter accounts aimed at him). Why should we take advice from the record store man who lost his business because he never opened on time and his shop was a smelly midden? Compare with his former employees' thriving Lovemusic shop in Glasgow. His increasingly bitter rants to long time regulars did not make it a boutique shopping experience. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19816#post-313470 Sun, 01 Sep 2019 21:23:51 +0000 Stickman 313470@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>I suspect this is the Tories starting an anti-city centre transformation campaign.</em></p> <p>The next part of the city centre plans gets published on Friday so the timing fits. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19816#post-313465 Sun, 01 Sep 2019 19:01:17 +0000 Morningsider 313465@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>IWRATS - no, no, no - just <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Traffic_Light_Tree.jpg#/media/File:Traffic_Light_Tree.jpg">perfectly phased traffic lights</a>. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19816#post-313463 Sun, 01 Sep 2019 18:34:58 +0000 I were right about that saddle 313463@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>I suspect this is the Tories starting an anti-city centre transformation campaign.</em></p> <p>You wonder what their ideal Edinburgh of 2020 would look like. <a href="https://live.staticflickr.com/4391/36562812126_73d1a9e8f3_b.jpg">This, I suspect.</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19816#post-313451 Sun, 01 Sep 2019 16:44:57 +0000 Morningsider 313451@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I suspect this is the Tories starting an anti-city centre transformation campaign. If they can "prove" that reallocating road space is bad for business then they can argue against it using "evidence". Here's one tweet from Cllr Jo Mowat:</p> <p>"Ask the author @avalanche_edin on that - he’s the expert - I reported to council what was reported to me - businesses reporting 30% reduction in sales on same week last year - and that was across a number of businesses - week before road closures business up - closure down"</p> <p>Essential Edinburgh <a href="http://www.essentialedinburgh.co.uk/stats/">footfall figures</a> for w/c 19/8/19 are mixed, but overall footfall across Edinburgh was up on the same week in 2018 - primarily due to the area outside of the New Town (festival effect I would guess). All the Summertime Streets are in the Old Town - where the figures show increased footfall.</p> <p>No business covered by the Summertime Streets initiative gets 30% of its business from people who park on, or drive down, those streets - that's physically impossible due to the very limited carriageway and parking space available and the huge number of potential customers passing on foot. </p> <p>Also, the importance of parking to businesses in central Edinburgh is massively over-estimated. <a href="http://www.essentialedinburgh.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Essential-Trends-Spread-Issue-102-1.pdf"> Data collected by Essential Edinburgh</a> shows that each on-street parking bay in the city centre produced just 0.9 business transactions per day in March 2019 (latest figures available). </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19816#post-313449 Sun, 01 Sep 2019 15:42:34 +0000 gkgk 313449@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>He only mentions cyclists once, in passing, in his last sentence. It's just a stuck-on clickbait headline. EEN circulation collapse has slowed but I think will hit zero in 6 years on current trajectory. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19816#post-313443 Sun, 01 Sep 2019 12:33:28 +0000 crowriver 313443@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>The "famous" Bertie's* is what used to Kushi's on Victoria Street?</p> <p>Recipe for success seems to be:</p> <p>- big premises (can't miss it)<br /> - large brightly lit signage<br /> - traditional "Scottish" food<br /> - massive internet marketing (e.g. sponsored top ranking in "Edinburgh Fish and Chips" on Tripadvisor alongside The Newsroom)</p> <p>* Never heard of it before today. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19816#post-313437 Sat, 31 Aug 2019 23:30:53 +0000 gembo 313437@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Quite possible they do not pay him? He used to talk the hind legs off me whenever i was in his many shops over the years </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19816#post-313435 Sat, 31 Aug 2019 22:31:04 +0000 Stickman 313435@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Regardless of what you think of his opinions, his columns are really badly written - cutbacks at the EEN must mean they are given just a glance by sub-editors before publication. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19816#post-313433 Sat, 31 Aug 2019 21:37:23 +0000 gembo 313433@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Poor Kevin, at the height of The Avalanche business he had a mansion out West Lothian way. Now he is down on his uppers </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19816#post-313428 Sat, 31 Aug 2019 20:12:34 +0000 Stickman 313428@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><em>Change business model</em></p> <p>AFAIK, the author of the article closed his record shop because it couldn’t compete with the internet and music streaming. In one of his recent articles he said that his reopened shop in Waverley Mall sells more t-shirts than music. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19816#post-313422 Sat, 31 Aug 2019 18:15:18 +0000 chdot 313422@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Change business model or business??</p> <p><a href="https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/lifestyle/famous-edinburgh-chippy-bertie-s-serves-a-record-25-000-guests-during-festival-season-2019-1-4994901" rel="nofollow">https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/lifestyle/famous-edinburgh-chippy-bertie-s-serves-a-record-25-000-guests-during-festival-season-2019-1-4994901</a> </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19816#post-313419 Sat, 31 Aug 2019 17:24:15 +0000 gembo 313419@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Where will all the drivers shop when global warming destroys the planet?</p> <p>When will a driver ever come up with an alternative way of stopping cars that’s doesnt involve stopping cars? </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19816#post-313417 Sat, 31 Aug 2019 15:05:26 +0000 crowriver 313417@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>"the drop in takings happened immediately the streets were closed"</p> <p>Correlation is not causation. Maybe these retailers were "local shops for local people" and the locals were elsewhere during the Fringe? Do tourists come to Edinburgh to shop? Fringe types too busy watching street performers, fringe shows or getting drunk at Underbelly etc. to bother going shopping?</p> <p>My limited experience of speaking to overseas visitors to Edinburgh this year revealed that they are guided mainly by whatever is heavily promoted via Google, Tripadvisor, etc. on their mobile devices. Even to the point of ignoring advice from locals! </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19816#post-313416 Sat, 31 Aug 2019 15:04:18 +0000 jdanielp 313416@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Shouldn't the headline be '...when the stores are shut'? If the stores are merely empty of customers, then that sounds like a great time to shop. If the stores are empty of stock, then that will presumably be down to Brexit. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19816#post-313415 Sat, 31 Aug 2019 13:29:46 +0000 chdot 313415@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Wrong sort of tourists in August... </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19816#post-313414 Sat, 31 Aug 2019 13:25:23 +0000 Stickman 313414@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>I watched when this was discussed at the last council. </p> <p>Apparently the businesses said they had a very successful June/July but the drop in takings happened immediately the streets were closed. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19816#post-313413 Sat, 31 Aug 2019 13:10:33 +0000 crowriver 313413@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Of course, it may be true that (some) retailers experienced a slump in sales. </p> <p>Equating that to the effect of the temporary, partial and limited street pedestrianisation is just nonsense. Trying to blame cyclists for it is just clickbait tactics. Anyone try cycling on Victoria Street when the festival crowds were in full spate? Good luck with that! It was tricky enough to walk at a decent pace.</p> <p>Other factors are surely at work here. The changing nature of retail. The ability of tourists to check on their phones where they are "recommended" to go rather than just randomly stopping off at some shop, bar, restaurant. The changing nature of tourism: more "budget" travellers staying in AirBnBs, shopping in supermarkets, cooking "at home", not eating out as much. This all narrows the opportunity for traders to pick up passing trade, regardless of whether motor vehicles are parked up outside or driving past to the other side of town. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19816#post-313412 Sat, 31 Aug 2019 12:08:08 +0000 Morningsider 313412@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Any shop, pub, cafe or restaurant located on or near the Summertime Streets (Victoria Street, Grassmarket, Cockburn Street, Candlemaker Row, Cowgate, Royal Mile) that experienced a 30% drop in sales this August has bigger problems to worry about than a few traffic restrictions. There is literally a torrent of humanity walking along these streets 24 hours a day during the festival. If they can't entice a few in, then they should be taking a look at themselves, before criticising the Council. </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19816#post-313411 Sat, 31 Aug 2019 11:52:29 +0000 chdot 313411@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p>Well yes, but. </p> <p>I’m sure open/closed Sundays or properly organised car freeness won’t be the answer for all (maybe any) retailers in the internet age, but ‘cyclists’ certainly aren’t to blame for ‘progress’ -</p> <p>“</p> <p>While there is much talk about plans for George Street councillors yet again fail to have any focus on what businesses may, and indeed may not, be there should these plans come to fruition and with 30 to 50 shops predicted to become empty when Edinburgh St James opens I see little forward planning now beyond the mistaken idea that allowing changes of use will solve the problem.</p> <p>“</p> <p>(From above link.) </p> http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/topic.php?id=19816#post-313409 Sat, 31 Aug 2019 11:29:16 +0000 Stickman 313409@http://citycyclingedinburgh.info/bbpress/ <p><a href="https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/opinion/where-will-the-cyclists-shop-when-the-stores-are-empty-kevin-buckle-1-4994413" rel="nofollow">https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/opinion/where-will-the-cyclists-shop-when-the-stores-are-empty-kevin-buckle-1-4994413</a> </p>