Colin @theabingdontaxi May 18
I see yet another estate agency is to set up on the High Street #Abingdon in the old A-Plan offices.
Weddywoo @Wendywirdz May 18
Just what we needed!! #estateagents #Abingdon
Abingdon Blog @AbingdonBlog May 18
… and another betting shop. This could be our lucky week!!!
Weddywoo @Wendywirdz May 18
All we need now to complete the arrival is a charity shop……or maybe a hairdressers?
great, when is this place ever going to get any decent shops#?????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
any news on where this pop up wine / vineyard shop is going to be ?
Maybe coffee shops and opticians could be in the same category? But what do we want?And what about all the good shops we’ve had, closed through lack of business..
Another Estate Agents? Must be because we have so many new houses being built that other agents can’t cope……..
Yes, it would be nice to have more shops. But it would also be nice to see more people supporting the existing shops and the Town Centre.
On a positive note, at least the Estate Agents present smart and well-kept appearances. Better that than empty forlorn looking shop premises.
Whilst I agree that ‘it would be nice to see more people supporting the exsiting shops’ I do feel that it is hard to encourage Abingdon residents to visit in the first place when there are no major retailers to draw them in.
I’m sure more people would venture into town if we had a major retailer or two, then whilst there they could discover the other great independant shops we have.
After the intial optimism of the re-vamped precinct it’s beyond belief that two of the larger units still remain vacant and many of teh smaller ones. I just can’t understand how this can be?
Abingdon people do not use the local shops that’s why they close
I also can’t understand why there isn’t a well-known good quality clothes retailer in one of those big units, perhaps a little cheaper than Fat Face but not cheap and cheerful (I’m sure you get the picture). There are lots of folks who would definitely use this kind of shop rather than the hassle of traveling to Oxford or Didcot, I’m sure it would be a success – I wonder why no one has taken advantage.
When there is a special event on in Abingdon and 1000’s of people walking around, you quite often hear people saying something along the lines of – why isn’t there a M&S / GAP / NEXT etc etc in Abingdon.
Listen up retailers – there is money to be spent in ABINGDON
I’m holding out for a charity betting shop combo
Abingdon people do use the shops that cater to their needs. The shops that don’t cater to people’s needs close. Its simple economics. On a positive note Vodafone will open a phone shop soon next to Greggs. If they make a success of things the other providers like O2, Carphone etc will follow
Steve, your logic doesn’t always follow suit, I recently wrote to Robert Dyas inviting them to look at our town, (i had success doing this with ASK,Costa and Weatherspoons) they sent their acquisitions team to look at the town and declared it’s not for them, I asked was it too high rent? know, traffic issues? know, lack of foot fall? Know, they said and I quote “because we’re already established in Didcot,Witney Oxford and Thame we believe a store here would only dilute trade we already have elsewhere, in short while Abingdon was the but of all jokes through its newly imposed traffic scheme and traders in the precinct were holding up the revamp while demanding a better deal from SW, all the big names that we could and should have had went elsewhere ! Whatsmore, if you have a look on the web sites of Carter Jonas, Righmove and the Central Business agency you will find no less than SIX of Abingdon independents on the market !!
So Iain & Co, identify these businesses, then go and ask them what difference has £60k a year and Chaps made for them? oh and do remember to take your tin hat !
Steve (K), I agree with you…whilst Abingdon has been patting itself on the back for having some new gazebos and spending thousands and thousands and thousands of pounds on 4 trees on the market square….all the other towns have set about sorting their “retail offer”. But what do we do now? Does anyone know what Scottish Widows (or whoever is responsible for the precinct) is actually doing…? And if they continue to be so lacklustre in their approach; what is this hidden piece of information regarding the lease that SW have – and if they ‘underperform’ then the freeholder – the Vale, can take the lease away from them? What is the Vale doing about how their tenant is performing? I know…perhaps the council officers (who appear to be the ones who are really in control, yet totally unaccountable) could spend some of our money and hire some consultants to tell us?
I apologise, this is all very negative of me; the flower beds look nice.
We are estate agents in Abingdon and we don’t use up retail space, we don’t use much electricity and we don’t use much paper. We are about as green and friendly as any business can be.
In reality there is no need for estate agents to be on the high street any more but many consumers still think that a high street office matters. If all the estate agents moved to the first floor of their buildings what would fill the ground floor? I don’t know the answer but there would be a lot of empty retail space for a while.
Out of interest Bluedoor – will you be happy to pay for a BID?
The traffic issues, although real, are a red herring in this instance. People will make the journey if they have a reason, just like going to the doctors. I don’t blame Robert Dyas for not launching but its not because ‘they have a store in Didcot or Oxford’ (so do Argos, Greggs and Vodafone) its because the competition is too tough in Abingdon – RD would be up against Homebase, Tescos etc. If you can create a relatively niche service in Abingdon, something few other people are doing, selling what people need, you should be able to make a decent go of it
Pay for anything to do with the BID? In a word, no.
We have not been given any concrete information on what the BID intends to achieve other than “cost savings, marketing and networking benefits” and from past experience, trying to get businesses to work together to benefit us all is like dragging a rock uphill. I can’t see the BID changing that.
Just a suggestion I mean its just an idea, why doesn’t our council create like a questionnaire/ data collection on what the public want in their town centre? If there is a higher percentage for certain things EG HMV, Next, KFC etc then we can go to these business saying this is what the public of Abingdon would like. I’m pretty sure if these companies saw stuff like this they may feel more inclined to set up business as they would know that they will more than likely get our costume?
I’m probably wrong I’m just guessing ..
What about a few antique shops and a few more gift shops and make Abingdon more of a tourist destination. We have beautiful green spaces around the river, some very interesting architecture, individual cafes and pubs selling great beer. I think Abingdon on Thames should be put on the day trippers map!
Chris a clothes you had one and it’s closed