Superstore developments

[Tardis]

Last night at the Town Council meeting Cllr Whipp showed off the Asda paperwork

About 9,000 sq feet foodstore with 74 car parking spaces, directly opposite where Tesco want to be,

B&E and Craven Herald were there so it will probably be in the next editions, nothing yet in the Lancashire Telegraph.

[Thomo]

It will be interesting to see if this generates the same amount of "heat" that the Tesco topic did!

[Bradders Bluesinger]

Isn't that quite small , in the ASDA scale of things ? (Little more than a "Cricket Square")

[Stanley]

Small it may be but let's not forget that this is Walmart and they have an even worse reputation than Tesco for eroding local trade. I well remember what they did to Northfield in Minnesota and the battle that went on there when the new store was proposed. Lots to be said for progress but when it damages valuable local services it's not a good thing. Problem is that by the time this damage becomes evident it's too late.

[Stanley]

I've read the report in the BET about the application for a store on the gasworks site and I am forced to sat that Mark Taylforth of Pendle Developments makes an attractive case for this project as al alternative to Tesco. They would appear to have done their homework and hit all the right buttons. I also noted the result of the poll conducted by the BET "Do you want a Tesco in Barlick". 10% no and 90% yes. Why is that my crap detector starts to whine when I see such a clear-cut conclusion?

[Whyperion]

As both Tesco and Asda have outlets nearby, maybe we need a Waitrose.
Asda's policy this year is to open smaller outlets rather than the big out of town ones , good for them , for the localities they impact on maybe not so good.
If it was a choice between the two , I think Tesco would be better for the community (existing retailers excepted ).

[Tardis]

I thought Hannah for the front page had swallowed the sensationalist bible.

Whether Barlick could have either store; whilst the retail survey would suggest that the town needs neither I would not support any.

ASDA has always been the lowest priced supermarket, there is one not too far away and the bus stops just outside it. It also delivers. The B&E suggests only 30 jobs which is a little different to Tesco's numbers. I wonder which is the more accurate?

As to Waitrose, Ocado now deliver from their Ilkley store. I recommend it

[Thomo]

The bus stop is not that near to Asda at Colne. Try humping a weeks shop up there in a hailstorm, and for me, if I am not lucky and the return bus stops in town, I only have another 3/4 of a mile to get my stuff home. I think its time to get practical.

[Julie in Norfolk]

In the flat lands, we used to have several small supermarket shops in the centre of town - Liptons, Co-op, Keymarkets and Finefare. These were all smallish stores and there was room for all of them. Finefare was an Iceland type store with mainly frozen goods, Keymarkets became Gateway which closed and opened a budget type store out of town which burned down and is now a Wilkinsons store. Asda applied for and got an out of town store at the north (east) end which Tesco took on; Sainsbury built an out of town store the south (west) end of the town. All the town based food shops closed, including 3 grocery shops, 2 butchers (although we have got one back) and the original food "supermarkets". We hear that there is to be another out of town shop built at the south end of town, we know which site they have purchased and it will only compete with Sainsbury and Aldi. We do have an Aldi store within walking distance of the centre.

What we do have in the town centre are charity shops, I think Thetford must be the charity shop centre of East Anglia, Dr Barnardo's, British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research, one that supports a local respite home and another which I can't recall the charity. British heart foundation also have a furniture shop and we have a YMCA store as well.

The entire nature of the town centre has changed from food and other shopping to charity and cheap clothes shops. Not that I feel we do not need cheap clothes, East Anglian employers do not pay well, but thank goodness for the market on a Saturday and Tuesday.

Rant over, thank you for listening.

Oh, I had forgotten what a nice job the local council have done to disguise the closed shops in the town centre, they have posted full shop front size advertising for what a great place East Anglia is.

[Marilyn]

I have actually found SuperStore type complexes quite handy as a traveller too. Free parking ( generally...though there may be a time limit) and everything is so convenient. Sure, it is nice to 'walk to the local' whenever it was possible, but as a visitor it is not always possible to suss out the nearest or best. I have been in some small local supermarkets where the use-by dates on products have been way too short, and shopping with the big boys is better in that respect.
Got quite a shock when I wandered into a Lidl one day. Couldn't work out the concept there! ( had me scratching my head until a friend explained it some time later. On that particular day, they had table after table of Bacon - which I didn't need! - but no bread - which I was desperate for! What a weird experience it was trying to put a meal together...)
And being generally located on ring roads, the superstores are quite easy to locate.

[Moh]

We have more than enough in Burnley - Asda, Sainsburys, Tesco, Co-op, Iceland, Lidle, Aldi, Farm Foods, and the one that was Netto I cannot remember its name. There are only the same amount of people, so surely they cannot all thrive. I like Morrisons too, but it is always so busy.

[Twinkletoes]

I will welcome a new supermarket in Barlick, right now we have to shop out of town, it will so much easier to be able to do it all without needing to drive and rely on the hubbys days off so we can do the shop!

[Whyperion]

There are quite a few places to freely park cars in Barnoldswick , from limited waiting around the town , to 24 hour (literal limit in some) in most of the in town car parks. Theres some unrestricted on street parking a bit further out. I would imagine the proposed superstores would prefer a 2 to 3 hour limit to suit them , in Otley Sainsbury's had to have a longer limit as part of the encouragement of visiting shoppers to go around the town centre too, while the larger council run pay and display had I think a 12 hr limit.


Perhaps if the proposed Tesco site is developed for retail , the Fountain could go down there , freeing up town centre space.

[Whyperion]

Do we shop too much?

Looking at my weekly shopping list , much is ready made or part prepared meals , from the supermarkets. I think it would be cheaper to get ingredients instead locally saving overally money , but I would have to work harder cooking and baking more that what I have for many years ( fold my own pasta and fill with spinach and cheese )

[Stanley]

Each to his own. Have you ever looked at the price differential between ready made and home-cooked? Are you content to let the manufacturer source the ingredients? Local shops and natural ingredients are my route and just buy the prepared pasta. (I can't make spaghetti!

[Tardis]

Agree Stanley, much better to make your own.

I have never tried to make pasta, especially when it is so cheap in the stores

[Bradders Bluesinger]

I did a photographic job ,in the late 80's, for an emloyment agency , and had to visit several of their clients....Processed food , and Engineering.....Have VERY LITTLE ready-made food ever since !

[Moh]

I buy very little ready made/part cooked as it is much cheaper, and not that difficult to make from fresh ingredients.

[Whyperion]

Does Barnoldswick need a covered market?
Given the two superstore proposals, other than the fact that a suitable area in the town is not avalible that I can see. (Obvious is Rainhall Centre businesses to relocate into the CofE Primary school buildings when the pupils their move into the new buildings proposed adjacent to the secondary school, thus freeing Rainhall for retail purposes).
Reason for musing is that some of the shops might be better off running from smaller outlets and in close proximity to complimentary outlets, Flourish being one of that type.
With a low overall population its difficult to get critical mass of turnover to cover costs, of course good marketing can help to attempt to reach the maximum potential buyers.

[Stanley]

Brad, I had the same experience. During my working life I have seen many plants and learned some shocking things about food processing. I had an article published once in the Food Magazine about these things and it caused quite a stir. Nothing ever came of it..... Perhaps worth posting it again.....

[Tardis]

There used to be a market, held on the co-op car park. It died

To be viable you would have to change shopping habits, and get those people who drive out of town to the superstores to actually walk into the town centre.

There could be an opportunity for car boots, as bargains do tend to draw in folk

[PanBiker]

I think the occasional continental and farmers markets that have been held in the town square have been successful as they have been seen as an event rather than the norm. The layout of the town does not readily lend itself to a market like say Skipton does. I suppose they could try the underused car park just up off Rainhall Rd, nice sheltered location on the old railway track bed but if folk won't walk to the centre of town there would be no chance of getting them to go the extra 50 yards. It was a totally different age when not many folk had cars and Barlick supported both indoor (Majestic Ballroom) and outdoor (Brook St) markets every week. Always we patronised as well as I recall as lad.

[Stanley]

What is now the Brook Street car park was an occasional market at one time.

[Nolic]

When was the car park on Brook Street a Market. I lived on Garden Street from 1950 to 1960 and I can't remember it. I do remember the indoor one at the Majestic though. Nolic

[PanBiker]

I can certainly remember it on Brook street as we passed it on our way up to my Grandma and Granddads house on King Street when we went up town on shopping day. Maybe not on every week like the Majestic but quite a vivid recollection. I'm fairly sure one of the stalls sold fents and stuff like that which my mum was always interested in as she took up dress making when she was a mum at home. This would be before I started school in 1958.