FabSwingers.com forum: Shops closed at Bluewater

By *onyDunn OP Man
over a year ago

Sevenoaks

Walked around Bluewater, Kent today.One thing to hear about high street closures but many many units have been emptied in Bluewater. Not just the arcadia group but many other units are sitting empty in Bluewater, the biggest and most successful shopping centre in the UK. I guess some have emptied to protect stock like Apple. But Fat face was empty and all stock gone. Yet Victoria Secrets had staff inside working. Thought they had gone.

This virus has not just killed people, which is awful, but livelihoods.

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By *inky_couple2020Couple
over a year ago

North West

I doubt Victoria's Secret was open for people to walk in randomly? Click and collect or parceling things for home delivery, surely? None essential shops are closed. Many retailers will have, as you say, removed stock for safe keeping and probably back to warehouses for online sales to be processed.

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By *ssex_tomMan
over a year ago

Colchester

Lives first...business second..

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By *ove2pleaseseukMan
over a year ago

Hastings

And it will be pensions hit next as most invest in the sipping centres if there income drops then you pension investment will follow at some point

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By *ssex_tomMan
over a year ago

Colchester

"And it will be pensions hit next as most invest in the sipping centres if there income drops then you pension investment will follow at some point "

I will be in the sipping centres sipping my gin...

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I've just spoken to a friend who works in Bluewater as a cleaner.

She said almost all the shops that were trading before the Christmas lockdown are still trading and as far as she has seen none of the shops that are still trading have emptied their store.

Most are open for click and collect.

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By *ornucopiaMan
over a year ago

Bexley

I went there a week ago to get my vaccination.

Apart from anything else the weather was diabolical.

Everything quiet and I wouldn't have gone there otherwise at it would have been a sure fire recipe for "'Ello ello ello, what are we doing here today for, Sir?"

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By *ap d agde coupleCouple
over a year ago

Broadstairs

Be interesting when unemployment takes off how the Government is going to fiddle how they count it

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Lives first...business second.. "

Yes can't disagree but unless businesses get up and running and staff get jobs, they'll be no money to fund the NHS. Yes protect lives but protect the NHS by getting the economy back

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By *adame 2SwordsWoman
over a year ago

Victoria, London

most of the big shopping centres are in or close to administration these days, some before c19

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Walked around Bluewater, Kent today.One thing to hear about high street closures but many many units have been emptied in Bluewater. Not just the arcadia group but many other units are sitting empty in Bluewater, the biggest and most successful shopping centre in the UK. I guess some have emptied to protect stock like Apple. But Fat face was empty and all stock gone. Yet Victoria Secrets had staff inside working. Thought they had gone.

This virus has not just killed people, which is awful, but livelihoods."

Blue water is not the biggest shopping centre in Uk it’s the fifth largest just googled it.

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By *ssex_tomMan
over a year ago

Colchester

And a day walking around any shopping centre is a wasted day

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By *ophieslutTV/TS
over a year ago

Central

A lot of retail businesses have seasonal stock, so just leaving last seasons stuff lying around means that it will lose value, once that season ends. Better to sell it at a higher price, whilst it's current.

Units may be in negotiations over rental contracts of course. I think the non essential shops will have been shut for a couple of months now but had probably been negotiating earlier in the pandemic.

The economy has been hit and some of the business models that kept some of them buoyant, may have to be revised. Having a larger population size that's healthier, is the right foundation for us to prepare for the different future

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

This virus has not just killed people, which is awful, but livelihoods.

Blue water is not the biggest shopping centre in Uk it’s the fifth largest just googled it. "

i was thinking that i had never even heard of it

and not just because im too far away because i have heard of westfield, the trafford centre and the metro centre

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By *ophieslutTV/TS
over a year ago

Central

Lots of these out of town shops, supermarkets etc have been bad for the environment, with high carbon footprints, car use extended and increasing pollution. We will probably have to adapt many things about the lifestyles that have been pushed upon us, as well as happily having accepted, some of them driven by the US lifestyle and economy, fuelled by oil.

The extent that people will want to be indoors in sealed off units with lots of other people, remains to be seen. I'd prefer greater ventilation, fresh air, natural light and ability to keep away from many indoors, having the choice to keep more freedom from claustrophobic environments.

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By *ev_1Couple
over a year ago

Bickliegh

Here's the answer get off our asses and shop in you city centre when safe to do so to many people shopping on line

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Time to revive the high street where you at least have to go outside to go from shop to shop.

Surely now with Covid, even when its over or under some control does anyone really want to be in an enclosed space no matter how well ventilated.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Time to revive the high street where you at least have to go outside to go from shop to shop.

Surely now with Covid, even when its over or under some control does anyone really want to be in an enclosed space no matter how well ventilated."

Lots of people do like shopping centres and sure when things are back to some form of normality they will return to them.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Time to revive the high street where you at least have to go outside to go from shop to shop.

Surely now with Covid, even when its over or under some control does anyone really want to be in an enclosed space no matter how well ventilated."

Reviving the high street? That's if there's any businesses left and if course, thee high Street shops are generally if not exclusively, smaller so probably less well ventilation and closer contact with a lot more people. Yeah, that'll work

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Here's the answer get off our asses and shop in you city centre when safe to do so to many people shopping on line

"
.

This 100% , amazing how many people moan about the high streets decline yet shop online ,

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By *.D.I.D.A.SMan
over a year ago

London/Essex... ish... Romford to be exact

"Here's the answer get off our asses and shop in you city centre when safe to do so to many people shopping on line

This 100% , amazing how many people moan about the high streets decline yet shop online , "

High Streets need to be revitalised. There are some great areas with independent shops like Brighton for example. If there were schemes to help restructure the High Streets and incentives offered so that not every shop was identical in every town (Greggs, Subway, William Hill) then I'm sure these places could flourish once more. Didn't Mary whashername advise the government on this?

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Here's the answer get off our asses and shop in you city centre when safe to do so to many people shopping on line

I would usually have done exactly that, but there's almost nothing I would want to buy from my closest town centre. Footfall had been dropping long before Covid. They couldn't even keep a Peacocks store open

. Now the main objectors to a shopping development on the outskirts of town is itself up for sale again. Very short sighted in their objections as people would probably have gone into the centre if they'd travelled and had something to make the journey for.

There are huge savings online - one item I just bought wasn't in stock locally & no idea when they could get it. Online £16 cheaper and here by Friday. I do avoid Amazon and when shopping online try to use shops with a street presence wherever they are in the UK. For me though, the town needs to attract traders that will draw people in & that's just not happening.

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By *ir-spunk-alotMan
over a year ago

Southern England

"This virus has not just killed people, which is awful, but livelihoods."
"

And you have only just realised this!!

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By *exleyboyMan
over a year ago

Erith

As I work in Retail IT Support. There is a lot of brands that have taken a common sense approach. They have had the stores return their stock holding to the distribution centres to support their on line business. Also therd was Brexit amd some stores are european and were not sure of the effect Brexit would have on thier bussinesses.

Hence the stores been empty. The trick to this is that the government will need to give notice on the reopening of the retail sector. It will take a few days to get the stock back into shops.

I know that there are only a handfull of stores open in the shopping mails like Bluewater. And the Kent Police have been out amd about visiting the stores that are open asking why they are selling certain items.

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