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Rank: Newbie
Groups: Member
Joined: 10/28/2008
Posts: 2
Points: -85
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We are all aware that there are a few empty retail units in the village. I will not delve to deeply into why they are empty, I'm sure we all have opinions!
I feel the good news is that there will be more retail units available in the future. 3 opposite the cross, some next door to the dry cleaners and 1 at the end of Bridgewater Street.
If rents are deemed excessive, market forces will eventually influence the situation and drive them down. An empty commercial property now attracts full business rate, therefore landlords can no longer allow units to remain unoccupied.
Every shop in the village will generate some footfall for all the others; so the more shops we have, the busier the village should be. Hopefully the increase in the number of shops and the introduction of pay and display will dramatically increase the whole feel of the centre. I personally would like to see a busy and thriving area akin to Cultheth and Knutsford.
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Rank: Administration
Groups: Member
Joined: 10/13/2008
Posts: 52
Points: 111
Location: Lymm
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Hopefully the introduction of pay and display will address all of the issues that blight Lymm centre at the moment. Time will tell.
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Rank: Newbie
Groups: Member
Joined: 11/8/2008
Posts: 8
Points: 24
Location: lymm
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how do we entice people back to the village centre once pay & display is in force? although Lymm Life is a brilliant noticeboard for information is does preach to the converted as you pick it up from local outlets - locals who rarely set foot in the centre would'nt bother reading it. How about a door to door leaflet drop? for this to be effective I believe you have to post it seperately, leaflets in newspapers usually get emptied straight in the bin. I'm sure we could all manage a bit of footwork between us next spring. who knows, if you use enough shoe leather it could be good for business!(only kidding)
any other ideas for a campaign to bring people back to Lymm?
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Rank: Administration
Groups: Member
Joined: 10/13/2008
Posts: 52
Points: 111
Location: Lymm
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hilary@arches wrote:how do we entice people back to the village centre once pay & display is in force? although Lymm Life is a brilliant noticeboard for information is does preach to the converted as you pick it up from local outlets - locals who rarely set foot in the centre would'nt bother reading it. How about a door to door leaflet drop? for this to be effective I believe you have to post it seperately, leaflets in newspapers usually get emptied straight in the bin. I'm sure we could all manage a bit of footwork between us next spring. who knows, if you use enough shoe leather it could be good for business!(only kidding)
any other ideas for a campaign to bring people back to Lymm? Use everything at our disposal! Leaflet drop a good idea. Lymm Life. A joint newspaper advert, if we are supported by our suppliers, i.e.they sponsor their customer with a support add, the paper will organise this for us, we could get several pages in the Warrington Guardian with editorial. Make it newsworthy and we could get featured in the M.E.N. as well. Cheshire Life would also be interested if we pitch it right. Publicity events, special offers. I think theres lots we can do when we get sorted 
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Rank: Newbie
Groups: Member
Joined: 4/2/2009
Posts: 4
Points: 18
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hilary@arches wrote:how do we entice people back to the village centre once pay & display is in force? although Lymm Life is a brilliant noticeboard for information is does preach to the converted as you pick it up from local outlets - locals who rarely set foot in the centre would'nt bother reading it. How about a door to door leaflet drop? for this to be effective I believe you have to post it seperately, leaflets in newspapers usually get emptied straight in the bin. I'm sure we could all manage a bit of footwork between us next spring. who knows, if you use enough shoe leather it could be good for business!(only kidding)
any other ideas for a campaign to bring people back to Lymm? In fact, the majority of copies of Lymm Life are distributed in areas outside the village centre. Biggest distributor is probably High Legh Garden Centre. The Co-op at Cherry Lane is another big distributor. Other major distributors include Lymm Leisure Centre, the Costcutter opposite the Jolly Thresher, Burnett Premier shop in Higher Lane, Statham village store. Rushgreen Service Station. Even Fryer's nurseries at Knutsford! All these are well away from the village centre but will attract customers who do often visit the village centre.
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Rank: Newbie
Groups: Member
Joined: 11/8/2008
Posts: 8
Points: 24
Location: lymm
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I came across a couple of articles in my trade magazines about the concept of pop-up shops - businesses which set up on a short term lease, say 6 months to begin with. to quote a retailer who has tried this; "for years they (the landlords) have stuck to their guns & said 'that's the rent & f you don't pay it, you don't get it', but the landlords who are willing to be flexible right now are going to do a lot better. some of the biggest problems that exist in this business are caused by landlords inflexibility" A short term lease in these hard times is a win-win situation, the retail business is able to trial an idea, if it works they usually sign on for a longer lease, if not, the landlord has had a few months rent & is free to re-let again, & the community has benefitted. This concept is preferable to the governments proposal to fill empty shops with non-businessess such as art galleries & information centres. Southampton City Council is directly contacting landowners & agents to promote the temporary use of empty units. I will gladly hand out a copy of the articles to any interested parties. 
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Rank: Administration
Groups: Member
Joined: 10/13/2008
Posts: 52
Points: 111
Location: Lymm
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It seems such a sensible idea and surely a no brainer for the landlords who are just sitting on empty premises.
However one of the less popular landlords, if my information is correct, is charging around £8 per sq foot for an empty premises but £23! per sq foot for a unit that is at present let. I will have to dig further on that, but if it is the case then it is outrageous.
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