By joe10000
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It's about time we had some quality branded retailers in Twerton. The new Boots will make a great flagship host to the parade. It's just a shame it's going to be flanked by a charity shop. The last thing we need is another tatty shop.
Good riddance to that horrible community shop thing with all it's messy and distracting signs in the window.
We need to drive the retail offer forward and remember that in the past the parade offered a great variety of retailers.
It's time to get away from all this community help stuff and start turning it back into a proper shopping centre.
We need to be attracting the likes of Tesco Metro, and some small independant stores who can offer real variety in the retail offer.
At the moment I am ashamed of the state of the parade and it should be an urgent priority of councillor Ball to sort this out as he has presided over the decline of the high street since elected in 1991.
Can somebody tell the funeral directors to take down their dirty nets and get some sort of proper display made for the end unit - it's looks terrible.
Can Councillor Ball start making approaches to some big name retailers??? Can he get some action sorted out for the sorry state it's in.
If Boots is a success then how about a small Woolworths?
I think Councillor Ball should make some approaches to these retailers and breathe some life back into the parade.
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I don't think it's fair to heap any blame on Councillor Ball. Nearly all the sites on Twerton High Street are privately owned. The councillors have little input into who does what and where. The planning department have some say on what type of building but not who takes on the lease.
The small pharmacy is moving to the new Boots double unit. Timebank Plus is the shop with all the posters in the window - and they do a great service for the community.
I agree that Twerton High Street has huge potential - but I'm not convinced that inviting Tesco in is a good idea. They just swamp the competition and we will see fewer small businesses.
I would rather see Twerton High Street be as successful as say, Moorland Road - with a multitude of diverse small retailers.
Perhaps it's a little unfair to put all the blame of the retail demise at the feet of councillor Ball, however I feel too much time was wasted in the 90's developing a community farm rather than paying attention to the local economy.
I would strongly disagree with your assumption on Tesco. As an experienced retailer for over 15 years I know the retailing maxim 'location, location, location' very well indeed.
Tesco would bring an INCREASE of footfall to the village which means the local shops and services become busier with potential to expand sales and profits. It's very narrow minded to assume Tesco wipes out competition wherever it goes. Take it from a retailer - I would gladly have a Tesco open up next door to me. I know i'd be 500% busier.
Tesco would provide some great competition for the very poorly run and staffed Spar, with its dismal service levels, dark lighting and high prices.
Timebank might well do some good things for the community, but should it really be located bang smack in the middle of a retail arena?
Twerton needs to get away from this image that is portrayed that it's stuffed full of people who can't spell their own name or fill in job application forms.
We need to get professional and stop harping on about being deprived etc, etc...
A good thing would be for the guardians of Twerton to take a look around some Bristol suburb shopping scenes.
Take a look at Hanham, Kingswood, Downend or St George - That's how you do local retail!!!!
True - Spar isn't the cheapest of shops in Twerton! However, I would rather see a supermarket chain with some element of ethical policy - such as co-op. My past experience of a Tesco metro opening in a small village was the co-op and greengrocer going under and then once the competition was out of the way the Tesco prices went high. Obviously, if you're a retailer and you're not competing with Tesco then it won't affect you and would have a footfall benefit.
Surely the shops in Twerton parade closed because it was no longer viable for them to stay open?
I for one was not impressed to see the new Boots open, why on earth would anyone want these large chains to take over thier neighbourhood?
Timebank plus provides an absolutely priceless service to the people of our community, I am very capable of spelling my name and filling in a job application and yet have needed the help and support of timebank on a coupe of occasions. I have also been known to show my face in the charity shop, again a resource that benefits many of us on low incomes with families, and has been used for a long time by the older community for low cost household goods, and more than that, a meeting place to stop, have a cuppa and enjoy a chat.
I admit some of these units could do with 'sprucing up,' but I found some of your comments offensive.
Julia,
No offence intended, however if you take a look at Moorland Road - that is what Twerton should be aiming for.
Twerton was not originally some big council estate and charity case. Mr Cook and Mr Carr who virtually owned the place in the 1890's made Twerton the pioneer of wool/cloth milling industry in the south west.
There seems to have been (certainly in the last 10 years) a perception that Twerton should be labelled as Deprived or Disadvantaged or plain rough. I for one do not want the area that I grew up in to be tarnished with such an image. I want it to be professional, well looked after and SMART.
Timebank does invariably do a very good job, however that's not to say it couldn't improve it's window display to make it look professional rather than some kind of madmans been around with a pair of scissors and some pritstick.
Boots will take the place ever so slightly up market. The more 'Blue Chip' retailers we can attract will help to improve Twertons image and stop it being labelled a dustbin by the local press and politicians.
The understanding of Twerton as a deprived ward comes not from some label that people have arbritarily decided to attach to the area, but from Government statistics.
In the year 2000 Twerton had the overall highest level of multiple deprivation in Bath and North East Somerset, being the most deprived in terms of income, employment, health and housing.
The location of the Timebank and it's window display promoting community services and events are exactly right in my opinion, as part of its purpose is to promote much needed social cohesion in Twerton.