St Helens town centre Curry's to close

11:15am Wednesday 22nd August 2012 in News

ST HELENS town centre’s high street faces another loss next month when electrical store Curry’s closes.

The shop on Church Street will shut in September, with the company seeking to relocate staff to the Curry’s megastore and PC World at Ravenhead Retail Park.

A Curry’s spokesman said: “The store is closing when the lease expires on September 8 when the lease expires. We are currently looking at relocating all colleagues.

“The closure is part of the ongoing store portfolio review that was announced in 2008. It is not a reaction to the current economic climate.”

The spokesman denied high rental rates had played a factor in its decision to give up a prime location in the town centre.

Comments(27)

Robbob5 says...
12:06pm Wed 22 Aug 12

Another Poundstore Or Charity Shop Perhaps?

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anthonywilson says...
12:10pm Wed 22 Aug 12

At least the staff are not losing their jobs. Its not good that they are closing the town centre store yet in comparison to the range of goods to the one on Ravenhead Retail Park you can understand their business decisions behind it. The town centre store was originally the Dixons arm of the business mainly specialising in photography and smaller electronic goods rather than Curry's which focussed on white goods. The smaller size of the store always prevented expansion in the Town Centre to include a larger range of stock. As the Star mentioned in the article the news was a business decision made back in 2008. http://news.bbc.co.u
k/1/hi/business/7402
090.stm

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anthonywilson says...
12:11pm Wed 22 Aug 12

Robbob5 wrote:
Another Poundstore Or Charity Shop Perhaps?
I certainly hope not.

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Backbeat says...
12:56pm Wed 22 Aug 12

Not surprising and perfectly understandable, but it just adds to the town centres demise. Do we still need a 'town centre'??? I say sell it all off to a housebuilder, boost council funds and provide more and better housing for the people of st helens. To be fair the centre only attracts troublemakers and lager louts anyway.

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Robbob5 says...
1:39pm Wed 22 Aug 12

Backbeat wrote:
Not surprising and perfectly understandable, but it just adds to the town centres demise. Do we still need a 'town centre'??? I say sell it all off to a housebuilder, boost council funds and provide more and better housing for the people of st helens. To be fair the centre only attracts troublemakers and lager louts anyway.
I Cant imagine a housebuilder selling it off to a couple or a family with children.but the positive side is they will have not far to walk to the pound bakery :)

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Robbob5 says...
2:36pm Wed 22 Aug 12

With currys closeing down in september its not long to wait for it to reopen as a christmas shop selling xmas lights/tinsel ect!

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Robbob5 says...
2:41pm Wed 22 Aug 12

Robbob5 wrote:
Backbeat wrote:
Not surprising and perfectly understandable, but it just adds to the town centres demise. Do we still need a 'town centre'??? I say sell it all off to a housebuilder, boost council funds and provide more and better housing for the people of st helens. To be fair the centre only attracts troublemakers and lager louts anyway.
I Cant imagine a housebuilder selling it off to a couple or a family with children.but the positive side is they will have not far to walk to the pound bakery :)
Sorry backbeat...i misread your comment.i do agree with you

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frankly says...
8:42pm Wed 22 Aug 12

now lets see whose gone in the past 2 yrs, even though i may miss some..here goes..woolworths, t j hughes,tesco.jjb sports,early learning,.card shops,game store,shoe shops,kamera, lloyds chemists,ethel austin,martin dawes,a couple of closed down pubs,and a hint about argos as well.....have i missed any ?. dead end town.

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Sankey says...
10:09am Thu 23 Aug 12

Whilst I can understand the business decision the impact of the shops are cumulative. If this is boarded up or another charity / pound shop this will affect the collective product the town has to offer. Less of interest in the town centre less footfall and the town declines another step. To quote PM the planners, politicians and leaders in St Helens are plodders no one in power has the vision and capability to develop a new workable solution for St Helens. Complacency set in years ago not just with those in power but the voters themselves and apathy reigns. Last one out of St Helens shut off the lights.

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Sankey says...
3:46pm Thu 23 Aug 12

Just read in the star that St Helen's motto is Prosperitas In Excelsis, (Flourishing Well).

Amazing.

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Everard Edbutt says...
5:34pm Thu 23 Aug 12

Burtons may follow next - Another one with a store already on the Retail Park.
Regardless of what Burtons do or don't do and the reasons for Curry's moving on, the town centre is fast becoming a zone of doom and despair.
What does the average family need to go into town for?
Online shopping and retail parks are the future of retailing.
The only thing that can reverse this trend, the only thing that can resolve this wrong doing to our town centres is for "them" to bring back Kes the Kid Eating Snake.
If town has Kes back then folk will travel from neighbouring towns and cities to go on Kes, bringing millions into the local economy and thus enticing big brand retailing back into the town centre...
The answer is that easy. St Helens - it's Kes or broke... Your choice...

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frankly says...
7:13pm Thu 23 Aug 12

Everade, i know your answer was tongue in cheek, BUT it was a better town then Kes or no Kes....Talk was of making the Hardshaw into a rest centre for our aging residents..Oh, sorry, i forgot, it is one now

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anthonywilson says...
7:25pm Thu 23 Aug 12

frankly wrote:
Everade, i know your answer was tongue in cheek, BUT it was a better town then Kes or no Kes....Talk was of making the Hardshaw into a rest centre for our aging residents..Oh, sorry, i forgot, it is one now
It certainly was a much better town back then.

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anthonywilson says...
7:27pm Thu 23 Aug 12

Sankey wrote:
Just read in the star that St Helen's motto is Prosperitas In Excelsis, (Flourishing Well).

Amazing.
As I mentioned on the thread about the towns motto
"Non Prosperitas in Excelsis" is a more apt description at the moment.

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Sankey says...
10:30pm Thu 23 Aug 12

Rimmeratus at doome

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Lynne55 says...
11:04pm Thu 23 Aug 12

I noticed the other day that Johnsons the Cleaners in Bridge St is closing down as well
Another empty shop!!

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papyt says...
3:53pm Fri 24 Aug 12

why do we never see any of the people we voted for actally telling us WHY our town centre is just a dire place to go,they all seem quick to come to the front when a photo opp or near an election is looming,could we please through this paper have a face to face question and answer forum held with cllr RIMMER and her cabinet and get some straight answers about the decline of this once proud town,they could tell us why a lot of desisions in the past when in LABOUR control have made the town what it is to-day,we dont whant reterict about goverment cuts and hard times we need to know why this town was left destitute when the LABOUR goverment ruled for 13 years,all the other local towns seemed to have prospered and are still doing better than us hard times or not,one question i would ask is WHY a building company buys a large piece of land ( st thomas's) does nothing to it but builds an identical planned development in another town ( widnes) are inncentives not being given to bring employment or did the LABOUR group in ST HELENS do a deal with BLAIR/BROWN not to rock the boat or is the leader that much dissliked in the LABOUR party she was a deterent for investment,even the leader of LIVERPOOL called her a ludite.

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Sankey says...
5:11pm Fri 24 Aug 12

And pigs might fly

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Mnav93 says...
8:51pm Fri 24 Aug 12

frankly wrote:
Everade, i know your answer was tongue in cheek, BUT it was a better town then Kes or no Kes....Talk was of making the Hardshaw into a rest centre for our aging residents..Oh, sorry, i forgot, it is one now
I totally agree with you there, I walk into the Hardshaw centre, look around and think... "oh dear lord, I've entered God's waiting room!" I think they should get rid of all the seating from the centre and replace it with either centre stalls like how the cafe, phone shop, sweet shop is just to help people set up small businesses and not charge high rent!

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anthonywilson says...
1:27am Sat 25 Aug 12

papyt wrote:
why do we never see any of the people we voted for actally telling us WHY our town centre is just a dire place to go,they all seem quick to come to the front when a photo opp or near an election is looming,could we please through this paper have a face to face question and answer forum held with cllr RIMMER and her cabinet and get some straight answers about the decline of this once proud town,they could tell us why a lot of desisions in the past when in LABOUR control have made the town what it is to-day,we dont whant reterict about goverment cuts and hard times we need to know why this town was left destitute when the LABOUR goverment ruled for 13 years,all the other local towns seemed to have prospered and are still doing better than us hard times or not,one question i would ask is WHY a building company buys a large piece of land ( st thomas's) does nothing to it but builds an identical planned development in another town ( widnes) are inncentives not being given to bring employment or did the LABOUR group in ST HELENS do a deal with BLAIR/BROWN not to rock the boat or is the leader that much dissliked in the LABOUR party she was a deterent for investment,even the leader of LIVERPOOL called her a ludite.
Papyt, the development company for the The Hive in Widnes is St Modwen a different company to the one that was going to orginally develop St Thomas Square. However, it doesn't change the fact that now Widnes is a much improved town as a result of the Hive leisure park development and with superior leisure facilties than St Helens including a bowling alley and ice skating rink. Although on the Runcorn side, Halton Council also attracted investment to build the Brindley Arts Centre a few years ago which is another first class facility that St Helens lacks in comparision. You do have to ask why are investors are going elsewhere to neighbouring towns?

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frankly says...
6:59pm Sat 25 Aug 12

or replace them seats with a feww backless ones..then they wont hog a seat as some do for hours on end..for gods sake, its a shopping centre not a place of rest..if you want a longer rest go to the cafe, at leastsome money would change hands

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Bill Bradbury says...
9:33am Sun 26 Aug 12

Papyt, I quite agree with your view that our Cllrs. should be forthcoming in telling us what they propose to do or why it appears to be so difficult to attract business and development. We know it is not so easy but we just like to be told.
I have called a meeting this Thursday for our local Labour group where I expect our 3 Cllrs. to be present mainly to discuss aspects to Billinge and Garswood but I will put your view (and mine) to why does not someone of our elected Cllrs. tell us what is going on? I will let you know the outcome.
God's waiting room-I like that!

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frankly says...
6:52pm Sun 26 Aug 12

Bill
it gets called cemetary lane as well.

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papyt says...
12:07pm Mon 27 Aug 12

Q- what smells of wee and is 50 yds long

A- the que for a seat in the hardshaw centre



had to clean this up.

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frankly says...
8:52pm Mon 27 Aug 12

chicken...come on ..say it

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frankly says...
10:46pm Tue 28 Aug 12

Lets aski PM whats wrong, he is bound to have all the answers regarding this dump of a town that we have now.

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frankly says...
11:01am Wed 29 Aug 12

good one PAPYT...And if they want to smell better their are 2 pound shops within easy reach to get body sprays from..They wont though because someone may pinch their seat/spot..pmsl

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