Trivial things you don't understand/mildly annoy you

[Peter Venkman]

swindon town centre is becoming more pointless daily

🏜️🏜️🏜️🏜️🏜️🏜️

I haven't been to Swindon Town centre for 15 years, sounds like I am not missing much.

[Sippo]

Sad times. Just shows, no matter how big you are, if you do not have a good online presence you will not survive these tough times.

[RobertT]

Covid-19 is going to finish off the High Street I think.  Given the way people have started remembering how to walk and enjoy open spaces, maybe they should gut the Town Centre completely and convert it into a large walkable park, sort of Central Park like.

[pauld]

Sad times. Just shows, no matter how big you are, if you do not have a good online presence you will not survive these tough times.

Don't think it does. Debenhams were in the shit long before Covid19 hit and one of the few areas they actually did OK was online. I mean, I think you're probably correct generally, but Debenhams going tits-up doesn't prove the point

[Flashheart]

I've said before that the dying town centre is an opprtunity for SBC. Get with the times and create something different and appealing, while others have already spent hundreds of millions on facilities that are quickly becoming obsolete. They dodged a bullet in a sense and should take advantage.

This is SBC, though.

[@mwooly63]

Trouble is SBC dont own very much of the town centre,
Tho even if they did your point stands.

[Sippo]

Don't think it does. Debenhams were in the shit long before Covid19 hit and one of the few areas they actually did OK was online. I mean, I think you're probably correct generally, but Debenhams going tits-up doesn't prove the point

I know they were struggling, think the covid stuff was the nail in the coffin. Debenhams struggled to keep up with the trends. Had a niche clientele.

[flammableBen]

I know they were struggling, think the covid stuff was the nail in the coffin. Debenhams struggled to keep up with the trends. Had a niche clientele.

Unfortunately for them, the trends were "not shopping at department stores". Which might be a hurdle for them however you want to restructure.

[4D]

I'd like to see a Grace Brothers in town 

[pauld]

I'd like to see a Grace Brothers in town 

Winner!

[DiV]

Covid-19 is going to finish off the High Street I think.  Given the way people have started remembering how to walk and enjoy open spaces, maybe they should gut the Town Centre completely and convert it into a large walkable park, sort of Central Park like.

Not very often I need to go into the Town Centre but there are so many coffee shop chains most with multiple outlets.

How the fuck do they all survive when being in competition with each other? I mean sure they mark up on the drinks they serve must be huge but still. Just need to one to slash that margin and undercut the others and they could potentially make a killing

[flammableBen]

Not very often I need to go into the Town Centre but there are so many coffee shop chains most with multiple outlets.

Are there? I don't go down very often either tbh, but I thought the one starbucks closed. There's a costa. That branigans(?) or whatver it was called closed when all it's staff went on strike. There's another one up from macdonalds, by the Halifax ish? Not sure what that's called. Are there many more? I'm probably missing loads.

[horlock07]

Don't think it does. Debenhams were in the shit long before Covid19 hit and one of the few areas they actually did OK was online. I mean, I think you're probably correct generally, but Debenhams going tits-up doesn't prove the point

Debenhams have been struggling for a few years, they went into administration 12 months back and closed a load of stores, also don't forget the fingers of Ashley were deep in the pie. I think the main thing this proves is that Department Stores are dead and buried, whuich they actually have ben for years, see BHS, Beales etc

Get with the times and create something different and appealing, while others have already spent hundreds of millions on facilities that are quickly becoming obsolete. They dodged a bullet in a sense and should take advantage.

This is SBC, though.

.

Swindon town centre was crap as far back as when I usd to go and get my clothes from C&A with my mum and dad in the mid 80's, add on top of this the proliferation of OOT facilities and the turd is going to take one heck of a lot of polishing, unless they go down a CPO route any master planning would be a logistical nightmaree

Trouble is SBC dont own very much of the town centre,
Tho even if they did your point stands.

A friend of mine did some planning work on the Brunel Centre for its owners and found SBC to be bleeding useless and very unhelpful.

[horlock07]

Not very often I need to go into the Town Centre but there are so many coffee shop chains most with multiple outlets.

How the fuck do they all survive when being in competition with each other? I mean sure they mark up on the drinks they serve must be huge but still. Just need to one to slash that margin and undercut the others and they could potentially make a killing

I think (as with McDonalds, Domino's etc) most are franchises and thus its very closely controlled what they sell the product for.

[Oaksey Moonraker]

You could see the Debenhams building and Falcon House above it being knocked down and rebuilt from scratch as hotel, flats or multi use.