Town is bucking the trend (From Evesham Journal)

Town is bucking the trend

5:00pm Sunday 16th September 2012 in News

EVESHAM has bucked the national trend with one of the lowest figures of vacant shops in the country.

Just eight per cent of shops in the town are empty, compared with a vacancy rate of 18.5 per cent across the West Midlands.

The average vacancy rate nationally was reported as 14.6 per cent at the end of June, up from 14.3 per cent six months ago.

Shawn Riley, Evesham Market Town Partnership Manager, said: “Evesham remains an attractive proposition and has plenty to offer retailers.

“The town is also becoming recognised as the UK’s number one festival destination.

“The recent Evesham Festival for example attracted more than 40,000 visitors to the town and Saturday’s Pie & Ale Festival is expected to attract thousands of people to the main shopping areas. Add to this a Loyalty Card due to be launched in October.

It’s a great way for local people to get involved and support their local shops.

“Helping our town shops thrive is the best way to attract new stores to open.

“Everyone’s feeling the pinch, but our retailers are really working hard to offer customers a quality experience when they walk through the door.”

Comments(17)

evesham123 says...
9:17pm Sun 16 Sep 12

really? i would question these figures as the experience of walking down Port Street and up Bridge Street tells a very different story..........and make no mistake, the town will be crippled by the closure of abbey bridge next year because Worcestershire County Council refuses to listen to common sense........

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Evesham justice league says...
10:36am Mon 17 Sep 12

evesham123 I feel you are being very unfair with your comments.
The shops in town are closing however they are also re-opening as eastern European shops or discount booze shops - just the type of image that will attract retail chains and tourism into the town - NOT!
As for the bridge closure next year I wouldn't put any money on the common sense approach prevailing on that one either!
I feel the local council are a little blind / misguided to the realities within our town

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Possibleprince says...
11:43am Mon 17 Sep 12

It does make me laugh how these quotes of dellusion come about. It doesnt take much to see that Evesham is in a dire state at the moment. Shops closed all over the place, too many charity and £ stores, not to mention foreign stores, not that I have a problem with foreigners but this is England for heaven sake!!! You could be mistaken for thinking you walking down a street in Poland or Bulgaria with all the shops there are.

The council need to open their eyes and get a grip on reality!

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OnAHype says...
1:25pm Mon 17 Sep 12

Frankly i dont quite see what town the envigilators have been looking at.

I moved to Evesham 12 years ago and seeing that turn from a thriving centre of business to a "run down slum" full of foreign business is really quite disturbing.

I am anything but a racist but I often wonder to myself why we have so many Eatern European shops opening around Evesham (Port Street/High Street) whilst the long-standing English business are being replaced with these mini-markets, (even the pub down Port Street has been turned into a Polish squatter's abode).

In all fairness, this is England and i do not see why so many foreign business are being set up on our own soil. it is wrong and morally incorrect. And in relation to PossiblePrince's comment: When WILL the council open their eyes and get a grip? It is only a matter of time before we are all speaking Polish/Lithuanian/La
tvian and are wearing old Umbro tracksuits!

Dont let this happen!

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sidneyvicious says...
3:23pm Mon 17 Sep 12

What could al these "Foreign" shops be selling to stay in business?
Hmmm I wonder?

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Possibleprince says...
3:36pm Mon 17 Sep 12

@SidneyVicious i think your comment is out of order if you are implying that they are selling good they shouldnt be. You are taking this thread to an unneccessary place.

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head thumper says...
6:26pm Mon 17 Sep 12

Didn't realise the BNP where live and active in Evesham. Surely its better to have shops that are doing business then empty shops. Lets face it if all these foreign food shops in Port street shut then the whole area will be even worse..

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Maelstrom says...
8:39pm Mon 17 Sep 12

I agree with head thumper, if it weren’t for the Poles, Bulgars, Lithuanians etc then Port Street would be awash with empty shops. The Eastern Europeans are migrant workers, i.e. they are in the UK to WORK, these people are here paying taxes which subsidise many of the UK born residents who are quite happy to be on the dole or “on the sick”.

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Possibleprince says...
9:49am Tue 18 Sep 12

The eastern europeans do work hard and I personally have no problem with them working here in the UK. If the Brits wont do it then so be it, let the ones who do want to work, work!

However, the quality of the shops in town inc. Eastern European ones are not the best. I mean how many more cheap shops and charity shops can we take? No one is going to go to Evesham for that, when you have places like Cheltenham, Stratford, Worcester even Birmingham not that far away.

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sidneyvicious says...
10:56am Tue 18 Sep 12