Twydall Discount Store fails to live up to hype
The Twydall Discount Store, as I believe it is to be called, was, upon opening, nothing short of disappointing.
Although they appear to have bought the whole of the old Woolworths store, and from outside the front of the store it looks promising, the store itself takes over just over one-third of the shop floor space and many of the shelves are empty.
The “grand opening” was supposed to be at 9am, but it wasn’t until 08:50 that the store owners turned up and many potential customers were left confused as to whether or not the store was actually open.
Nevertheless, despite the disappointing start and feel of the store, local business owners were left frustrated and angry.
One informed me that they had received no notice of the intention to open a discount store, whereas when they opened their shop, all other business owners had to be informed and given the opportunity to register their objections.
There are also concerns about the viability of the existing businesses if the discount store becomes too competitive.
Only time will be able to tell the measure of potential damage to the local economy from this latest arrival.
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3 Comments
Hi Alan
I am somewhat bemused by the tone of your article, particularly from a Conservative.
“One informed me that they had received no notice of the intention to open a discount store, whereas when they opened their shop, all other business owners had to be informed and given the opportunity to register their objections.”
If a business person wishes to lease or rent a retail unit and open a discount store, surely that is up to them? Providing they do not break planning, Sales of Goods Act, health & safety or employment laws surely what they choose to sell and how much they sell it for is a matter for them and the free market?
Are you implying that other local businesses should have a veto on their business plan? Or perhaps you would like to see a Twydall price fixing cartel to defend the profit margins of the established business community?
If existing businesses should have the right to object / veto the opening of a discount store, should the reverse not also apply and discount stores should have the right to veto the opening of the Co-op?
This all sounds like a Socialist planned economy to me!
Where I live we have Waitrose at one end of the High Street and Lidl at the other. If some of us wish to pay 10% / 15% extra for our groceries in order to shop in a clean, modern store with polite, well trained staff, then surely that is our prerogative? I certainly would not expect Lidl to close down because they discounted their sales. To do so would be to inflict higher prices on those who probably can least afford them.
Andrew, I got the impression that Alan was told that other shops had to give notice when they opened and the discount one didn’t.
From the Alan’s post, I don’t think he actually voices an opinion on the economics of the new shop, rather the rather shoddy opening.
Personally, I think that shops can open in existing units without any notification, with the exception of adult shops or shops with obscure opening times (e.g. late night opening).
The people that OWN the leasehold of the old woolworths store, opened there own store.
If as was mentioned in othe posts that shop had to advise the other shops of what they were proposing, how did the Post Office manage to get everyone to agree to there expansion. They sell ?1 goods, food items, alcohal, no one has objected to this.Or if they did, no notice was taken.
Yes, it would have been nice to have a wilkinsons or similar store, but that would have effected the surrounding business as well. So what kind of a store would have been exceptable to everyone?
What isn’t needed in Twydall is yet another empty store.