It is about 5 years since the Fairacres Retail Park had a £4.7m major re-modelling and refurbishment.
Post Christmas Sales are on all around the park, and Homebase had 20% off everything TODAY. In smaller print it said “if you spend £50 or more.”
Homebase, Pets at Home and Contact Electrical are much the same as five years ago, although Contact Electrical and Comfortmaker next door are now run by Beales – a company with 32 stores, whose original store opened in 1881 and is still at the same location in Bournemouth.
There are Closing Down notices in the window of Beales electrical shop. The smaller print says “TV & Audio Department”.
Argos is still there, alongside Subway, but the shop next door closed about a year ago, and is awaiting a new tenant.
Then there is Carpet Right who now sell beds.
Dreams, who sell hundreds of beds, might get their own back by also selling a few carpets …
and finally Vineys, an Abingdon original, now owned by Lee Longlands.
The look of the retail park and the names of most of the stores (apart from Vineys) are well known throughout the UK.
But the retail park is run by The Abingdon Mays who used to have their own chain of carpet shops, and they still do what they can to promote Abingdon Town Centre – where they started out.
According to a salesman in Contact Electrical, the space freed up by closing the tv and audio department is going to be filled with… beds.
Another selling beds??, for how long??
at least they can get Anglia/Co-Op divvy on the purchases.
[AHF have their own card now and dropped the Coop card].
The staff I spoke to this week werent to impressed about the change either…
Still, at least we will have a wide choice of bed shops !!
And maybe there is now an opportunity for a tv/audio shop to open, either on the park, ( would seem a a good place for a currys/pcworld ), or an independant in the town itself.
The staff I spoke to said that they weren’t going to take the decision lying down.
I agree about the beds as you can get beds of all descriptions at Fairacres – though I suppose it is logical to sell beds with all that bedding in the shop. Beales seems to be a good store and a welcome addition to the retail centre, but I am afraid Col won’t be able to get co-op points there any more (though they do have a loyalty card) You can get co-op points at the town centre supermarket next to the multi story car park though!
Forget all those beds, remember we have Abingdon Beds in Spring Road which is a family run business and as far as I’m concerned they give the best service. No hard sell!
Still more bed shops ? When MG closed down, they said that Abingdon would become a Dormitory Town !
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Who owns this park? They have just put up a sign which states cars will be removed if parked for over three hours. The law in England and Wales is a car cannot be towed if parked in places like this. The advice is call the police if this happens to you!