The last dedicated small newsagent in Abingdon has closed. That makes 4 closures in the last year.
It was on Northcourt Road, near a Co-op supermarket that also sells newspapers. Newsagents have been closing down across Britain with competition from supermarkets and petrol stations. Many people now get their news online.
WH Smith continue to operate and sell newspapers and magazines, and much more besides.
Supermarkets have squeezed out so many small independent shops. It has become the norm. Newsagents have to diversify to survive. Shame but there is no going back. The only good thing with the Virus is that many people have turned back to the smaller shops for essential supplies.
its people that dont support independent/small businesses that have caused the problem, everyone has a choice eg i will always try and use local business rather than amazon, thru choice whenever possible
its a mixture of things. But there’s a quick and cheap (relatively) fix…but no one will swallow it…so best just hope for the best.
It is only the newsagent that has closed and the estate agent sign refers to those premises.. The beauty salon upstairs is still going (well, it will be when they are allowed to re-open – hopefully fairly soon, Kira!!)
Print media is surely now coming to a rapid end?
Who would pay £2 for a so-called quality newspaper when there are so many free sources online, principal destroyer amongst them is the BBC, which kills competition in print and local radio.
With retail declining fast, will there be the difficulty recruiting care workers and fruit pickers in future?
Strikes me the problem is going to be one of finding jobs for all these workers from obsolete industries. Let’s hope we do a better job than in the ’80s