Partnership aims to bring investment to Wilmslow

by Lisa Reeves

Wednesday 29^th July 2015

Wed 29^th Jul 2015

A new organisation is being set up in Wilmslow with the aim of bringing additional investment into the town.

The Wilmslow Partnership will canvass for projects to promote the economic, social, environmental and cultural health of the town and then source funds to bring selected projects to fruition.

The Partnership will be driven by a small management team, all of whom are volunteers, together with a part-time Project Officer funded by Cheshire East Council.

The team includes representatives from three voluntary organisations: the Wilmslow Business Group, Wilmslow Trust and Transition Wilmslow – each one of whom has by definition a different area of interest and expertise.

The management team will be seeking to establish a wider group of voluntary bodies to share their own projects and objectives and help promote these through either financing or volunteers, or both.

Ruth McNulty, the elected Chair of the Partnership said "This is a long overdue development to bring welcome investment into the town. The number and variety of voluntary groups in the town suggests that we can, working together, substantially improve any one of a number of aspects of Wilmslow life for the benefit of residents, businesses and visitors.

"The Partnership model has been well tried in other towns in east Cheshire and has demonstrated that funds are readily available from a number of potential sources. I am greatly looking forward to the realisation of the opportunities which will open as ideas are crystallised.'"

It was agreed at the Town Council meeting on Monday, 20th July, that the Town Clerk Matthew Jackson will sit on the management team.

The first meeting of the Wilmslow Partnership will be held on Thursday 17th September at Wilmslow Leisure Centre, starting at 7.30pm.

Tags:: Wilmslow Partnership

Comments

Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.

Howard Piltz

Wednesday 29^th July 2015 at 10:39 am

All strength to you, but can you dissuade retailers from duplicating already established shops, please? MORE coffee shops/posh cafes, and now we are to have yet ANOTHER card/stationery shop halfway down Grove Street. What's the point?

David Woodcock

Wednesday 29^th July 2015 at 10:57 am

Just so long as it is not a shop selling something that people actually need.

Jon Armstrong

Wednesday 29^th July 2015 at 12:30 pm

The coffee shops and cafes are extremely popular and bring employment and money into the local economy. What exactly do people have against them? I've seen dozens of complaints about them on here but am yet to see anything that gives an actual solid and sound reason why they are such a bad thing.

Are they preventing people opening other shops and businesses in the town? Clearly not. There are a good number of empty units these other businesses could have taken on but didn't. Indeed, some units that are now cafes, such as Unico and Costa, stood empty for a long time before those businesses moved in, giving others ample opportunity to take them on if they so wished.

Stand outside Starbucks on Saturday and watch the amount of people going into Starbucks, for example. Still can't see the point? Can't see they are fulfilling a demand? Many of the other shops would be happy to have half their footfall.

What kind of shops would you prefer instead? Why do you think owners of those shops aren't queuing up to risk their money and fill the empty units?

DELETED ACCOUNT

Wednesday 29^th July 2015 at 4:53 pm

This Partnership is a good initiative. Wilmslow is already successful and has weathered the economic downturn considerably better than all its neighbours. Wilmslow also has a high proportion of young people - hence the demand for coffee shops. My only query would be why, if this initiative is about investment into the town, it is not led by someone on the business group. They have been successful in promoting the town - through events like the Motor Show, which unlike many of the other events organised has attracted people from a much wider catchment area.

Sally Hoare

Wednesday 29^th July 2015 at 6:51 pm

Quite right Jon. Rather have cafes than empty units..... or betting shops.... or pound shops...
etc.
Good luck to the Partnership, we are lucky to have people willing to volunteer for these initiatives.

Simon Worthington

Thursday 30^th July 2015 at 7:06 am

The Unico site did not stand empty for "a long Time" and a genuine retailer was very interested but was outbid. Yes, these national chains selling a product with a huge margin do prevent others (particularly independants) opening in the "town" as they will pay the greedy landlord his huge rent which disappears from the local economy. The vast business rates are only attainable for the same reason. The complaints are not about coffee shops (or charidee, opticians, restaurants, bookies etc) per se, but the balance. When there are no shops actually selling anything (retail) then who will be the customers. If we want the town centre to be full of food and beverage sellers then fine!!

Thursday 30^th July 2015 at 1:10 pm

Simon, as reported on this very site, it was almost a full year between Magnet closing and Unico opening. You don't consider that a long time?

There are still many empty units in the town, so it is hardly as though Unico got the only available one, or even the only one of similar size. And yet somehow these others aren't being snapped up like hot cakes...

So exactly what types of shops do the complainers want in the town? And what evidence of a viable market for them is there?

Thursday 30^th July 2015 at 2:39 pm

I can see the point Mark is making. A concrete example would be the small independent outdoor sports shop which used to exist on Grove St. It had a small, but well - chosen selection of hiking clothes and boots etc. The owners made a living from the shop and served the community. Along came Blacks and put it out of business. Almost as soon as it had closed Blacks closed because it was not economically viable. The result is that a small business went to the wall and people now have to go to either Stockport, Macclesfield, Manchester or Buxton. Now some will say that this is market forces at work - but it isn't, because once you build in the price of business rates then small shops do not stand a chance. You have effectively stacked the cards against them.

Andrew Royle

Friday 31^st July 2015 at 10:48 am

As a retailer for many years myself I agree with Jon. Unfortunately there appears to be little demand for retail units for the purpose of actually selling goods in Wilmslow town centre.

Blame the Internet, out of town shopping or anything else but that is the reality of the situation. If Wilmslow becomes a cafe and restaurant town then why would anyone object?

Saturday 1^st August 2015 at 9:35 am

The Magnet/Unico site may have been empty for a year but I understand the deal was done around three months after Magnet closed. Various planning issues followed along with architects, surveyors etc then refit. There is a demand for independant retailers but few can compete with a gross margin of several hundred percent provided by flogging coffee, pizzas and "mince in a bun".
Only yesterday I noted that the attraction of sitting by the traffic at Cau (neatly described in the Times as Gauchos budget brand) has been eclipsed by Unico and "Swanology" (watch for future developments there) with the Laundrette still to open!!

Saturday 1^st August 2015 at 9:57 am

Simon, I am struggling to understand your point. I have a unit on grove street that is empty. After we closed our store we let it to a Health & Beauty salon but unfortunately this didn't work out for them so it remains empty as so many other retail units.

Your are correct that the rents are extremely high as too the rates. I should know as I continue to pay these on a empty building.

This unit has been marketed for over 12 months with absolutely no interest for retail.

How are you suggesting it is filled?

Lisa Wood

Monday 3^rd August 2015 at 9:29 am

I have lived in Wilmslow for over 20 years and seen shops come and go along Grove Street and Water Lane etc. I like the coffee shops and bars opening it definitely seems more lively but alongside this should be affordable retailers. If it's a chain like topshop which used to be on grove street then great. People do not always want to go in their car to Stanley green. It's also great for the younger clientele. What happened to the pound shop?? Does it really matter that there would be a pound shop in wilmslow. Who would really be bothered? Definitely not me. I suggest the building which bang and Olsen have vacated should be a mini Aldi. Alderley Edge have a Little Waitrose and Aldi in knutsford is probably making a fortune. I guarantee that would bring customers flocking to wilmslow

Tuesday 4^th August 2015 at 1:12 pm

Andrew - I sympathise but perhaps this was a unit you should not have taken in the first place. I am sure there is little interest with rent and rates in excess of £60pa or £1200 per week before the key goes in the door. And then to be saddled with the bills for maintaining your landlord's property. Do correct me if I am out on the figures. For the rest just do the sums and calculate how much of what you spend is actually for the goods or coffee that you are buying and how much disappears to the landlords, council and government with what's left being operator's profit.
I do not know how some of the retailers on Grove Street pay their way. The new budget card shop for instance. This unit must cost in the region of £200,000 per annum to operate. Even if the stuff they sell cost them nothing they need over 60 customers per day every day spending a tenner each just to cover costs. With cards costing 29 pence how likely is this? Or is the intention to drive Clintons out??!!!
Is the Laundrette opening or have plans changed?

Wednesday 5^th August 2015 at 12:09 pm

Simon, you still don't appear to have provided a solution. You have reiterated that most retailers can't afford to be on Grove Street. And yes, the costs to occupy our unit are £70k pa before turning on the lights. And although I am not a fan of the several landlords they too are in a difficult position. If you buy a commercial property it is usually valued on a multiple of the rent. Therefore if the landlords reduce the tent significantly the they will have properties worth less the paid for them and borrowing that can't be repaid. Unfortunately if you operate in a free market economy you have to let things find their own direction.

At present this would appear the bars, restaurants and coffee shops can afford these rents so therefore why stand in their way.

Like I said before you can't force retail to open up on Grove Street.

As for you comment on why perhaps we opened there to start with its far more complicated.

You would have to the wonderful MBC and Cheshire planning departments as to why they continued blocked expansion in our existing site or several proposals to relocate.

Getting back to Grove Street, perhaps you can suggest what you preference to bars, coffee shops and restaurants is. Presumably empty units to punish the landlords!