Menswear shop prepares to close

As a Wilmslow resident 2002 - 2010, I have often (since) compared the town to other thriving communities where by family connections I visit often enough to know that they thrive. I think that Bicester and Marlborough are of similar size and I ask myself, goodness, compared to Wilmslow, why do they thrive? I have no emotional connection to Wilmslow, nor any axes to grind. But if I look at the town objectively and unemotionally and compare it to Bicester and Marlborough, Wilmslow is an utter failure and the failure of a menswear shop in the town centre, eight months after it opened is a typical example,. My heart goes out to the hapless owners. It wasn't their fault that their business folded.

I read the weekly round-up of local news from the Wilmslow Express website with increasing sadness. Of course people shout their mouths off in frustration, often wrongly, but over the weeks, months and years an ongoing picture of misery and frustration emerges by reading the columns. It seems that the local primary authority Cheshire East is universally loathed, even accused of being corrupt and yet paradoxically, it always gets voted in to continue its job which to an outsider, me, living in France, seems totally disconnected from making Wilmslow a thriving community.

I have a suggestion. I suggest that Cheshire East Council and Wilmslow Area Council (is there one?) should send a deputation of four people (2 CE, 1 Wilmslow and 1 member Joe public) to Bicester and Marlborough, to discover how to get it right. It surely can't be rocket science.

My bottom line alas, despite having no axe to grind, is that I think that the wolves of Wilmslow will descend on me in wrath, telling me I am wrong and have no business to poke my nose in and they like Wilmslow the way it is. If that is true for the majority of those who live in the town, and I did but don't think that way, then sorry, I'm heading for Bicester and Marlborough next time in UK.

This is typical. We need to ascertain who owns what and address it. Lets rip up the paving on Grove Street and make it what it was and should be. It should be local and proud. The development at Handforth should allow us to realise that we need more local businesses. Lets stop the moaning and actively help the situation. Wilmslow online and the Facebook equivalent is literally a moaning forum....isnt there anyone on here with any gravitas?

It is just so obvious - there is only one landlord in Wilmslow who has a total monopoly - the planning departments of Cheshire East and Wilmslow are clearly lining the pockets of Emerson/Orbit/Jones to the detriment of the local community

More likely no one has any money for expensive clothes and those that do shop in London Paris and New York.

From one who remembers Wilmslow 60 or more years ago.

Simon - agree - apart from the mention of Wilmslow "planning department". There isn't one. The Wilmslow Town Council do their best for the town but they come against the might of Cheshire East and the landlord who owns most of it. My personal view is that Emerson/Orbit/Jones once gave a great deal to the town and regarded it as theirs to be nurtured, - just witness the care which went into the planning of Summerfields . Now it has become a whole different ball game.

I told you so!!! repeatedly over the last five years. The town reached the tipping point when Jaeger closed. All the others who have closed recently, the remaining empty shops, the (two at least) occupied by businesses paying rates only will remain that way until the greedy landlords are forced to rent them at whatever "market" rate they can get. Councils, encouraged by central government use council tax/stamp duty to punish second home owners so why not double business rates each year on empty retail properties.
Government interference (often meant well such as the joke of "living wage" which is well taxed) has not helped when choking the golden goose of retail.
The proliferation of opticians with the ubiquitous coffee, charidee, beauty shops has reduced the amout of shops with things to buy and, sadly I agree Robin - the town has sunk as low as our embarrasment of an airport and I look forward to leaving.

Any Business that ceases trading after only 4 months must have had a woefully inadequate Business Plan but the Lease may be up for renewal/increase.