Guest 649- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 14,118
10 November 2008
12:028913Sorry to say 3more shops going from the high st Hinds, The pram shop and one other Jewellery shop, when will it end, not till thereis no more shops how do we stop it now,
Brian Dixon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
10 November 2008
13:128915vic,i have renamed you mr.doom and gloom.
Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
10 November 2008
13:328917This is just the start of the recession, who knows how far it will go, no doubt some shops will be hanging on for Christmas but after then? Lets not shoot the messenger Brian, all we can do to try to do is to support Dover's shops as much as we can and hope they can hang on until the economy picks up.
The latest forcasts are not good but I will not add further to the doom and gloom.
Brian Dixon- Location: Dover
- Registered: 23 Sep 2008
- Posts: 23,940
10 November 2008
14:238919Terry Nunn
- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 4,302
10 November 2008
18:038928"Pram shop"?
Terry
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
10 November 2008
19:288931Having visited the town last week, it was very noticeable that more shops had shut since August, and it looked as the trend will continue.
However, the butchers and greengrocers in the Charlton Centre were had very good produce and excellent service. Another new shop that again I could say the same for was the florists near the Central Cafe/Tony's Chippie on London Road.
I also noted that a family is attempting to open a few new shops, which come under the "Jaggard" banner, and there seemed to be some animosity towards them. Thais startled me, but maybe I do not know the back line, if there is one to be believed.
There was also a small glimmer of hope in the Indoor Market in Pencester Road. A small bunch of stools that were doing their best in trying circumstances.
Also I still question the sites for Asda and now I belive Morrisons. Both look too small for what these retailers normally develop. On this I hope that I am wrong, but if these do open those small idependants would be crushed.
DT1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 15 Apr 2008
- Posts: 1,116
10 November 2008
20:158934There are still just a handful of good shops in Dover town and the butchers in the Charlton Centre is a shining example of someone opening a new business and really making a great difference. I understand why people shop in supermarkets but find the the convenience is shadowed by poor quality and high prices.
The only thing I welcome about Morrisons is the prospect of fresh(ish) fish, something that is long dead in our seaside town. As for Asda, I'm not sure what they do that is any good...except for exploitation.
10 November 2008
20:188937Why don't we have a good fishmongers? It seems silly not to.......!!!!!! What a boon it would be as well.
DT1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 15 Apr 2008
- Posts: 1,116
10 November 2008
20:348943Tell me about it!!!! I love fish and having to go to Deal or Folkestone really gets me down. As for Tesco, I think the ice is tastiest thing on the 'fish stall' up there!
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
10 November 2008
20:358944paul
i think that you are being a trifle unfair to the traders in the indoor market.
they may not be flushed with success, but i am sure that they are not "stools".
10 November 2008
21:038946Sorry howard. I'm a poor typist at the best of times
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
10 November 2008
21:128948As I've said on many an occasion, "use it or lose it".
Too many people are simply not shopping in Dover; businesses close mostly because they don't have enough customers through their doors spending with them.
That's what the Loyalty Scheme was all about - ignore it or scoff, makes no difference now, but at least it was a good attempt at encouraging people to shop in Town and not go to other places.
I've been told many times that Dover's main fault is apathy - but is it apathy or cynicism ?
Vic, I went into that baby/pram shop in Worthington Street and the owner always said he doesn't need to join the Loyalty Scheme or advertise anywhere as he was the only baby-shop in Dover and people will/can only come to him - but not if they don't know about him or his business.
I also think that many people work hard "in" their shop, but not hard enough "on" their business and have no idea about marketing or promoting it and that's what I did for them - or tried to - the advertising was successful, the usage of the actual card was not - nor the promotion of it by the businesses to their customers.
Bob Dale of BBC Radio Kent came round to interview me about the Dover Loyalty Scheme and it will be broadcast tomorrow morning around 7am or just after.
Roger
10 November 2008
21:558949Tesco fish - yuk!! Nothing beats the fish sold fresh from the sea - if there were a fishmongers in Dover I'd use it all the time. Deal seems to have a good approach - a nice pier, decent caff, fishmongers, lovely fish and chips. There really is no pleasure like sitting eating fresh fish and chips, on the coast, looking at the sea. Ditto the oysters in Whitstable. Fabbo!
Ross Miller
- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,695
10 November 2008
23:558955So what is the council doing to attract people into the town?
After all it is DOVER District Council, not Deal or Sandwich District....
Do they cut car parking charges? No.
Did they support TCM? No.
Have they encouraged traders to move to Dover and/or develop it? No they have encouraged them to little Canterbury - oops sorry Whitfield.
We know DHB care little for the town that is inconveniently attached to its harbour and land holdings, but it to all intensive purposes seems that DDC feels the same.
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
11 November 2008
00:068957bern
there is no small fishing industry in dover.
just a glance along the beach at deal and along the harbour part of folkestone and the eye will see small vessels and nets.
i do not know why this is.
Guest 679- Registered: 7 Sep 2008
- Posts: 162
11 November 2008
02:258960Don't be silly, we can't have a fish shop in Dover....we live by the sea!!!!
I know a million ways to always pick the wrong thing to say
11 November 2008
07:318962Guest 655- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,247
11 November 2008
08:568967It certainly seems crazy that Dover does not have a fish shop but we do have to ask whether one would get much trade. We have seen how the number of butchers have decreased over the years.
Ross, it is difficult to know exactly what DDC could do.
I am not quite sure what help was given to TCM by DDC but they would need to be treated in no more favourable a way that Deal or Sandwich Chambers who perfform the same role as TCM did in Dover. Incidentally, Dover District Chamber of Commerce is exactly that, a District Chamber and not a town traders body like the other Chambers and TCM was. The town Chambers (as did TCM) have representatives on the District Chamber Board.
As for car parking charges. DDC do have budgetary contraints and to reduce car park charges would mean cuts to services elsewhere. It is a diffficult balance to make. I would like to see reduced car park charges, certainly, but I dont think that would have any great impact on attracting shops to Dover. There are simply too many fundamental problems facing shopping in Dover with demographics at the forefront.
Sadly I fear Dover is going to be particularly badly hit during this recession.
Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 6,018
11 November 2008
09:588970Barry W
There speaks a voice of reason
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
11 November 2008
09:598971The burden of car-parking charges could be somewhat alleviated, if the local businesses agreed to a proposal I made to the members of the Loyalty Scheme, whereby if customers spent a certain amount with them (say £15 or £20) they would refund their car-parking costs, or at least the first hour - needless to say only about one or two would accept that, so it never took off.
Car-parking is free, or very cheap, at places like the rear of the Pencester Road indoor market - if you shop with them; just ask Mary Davis, who runs the cafe in there and she'll give you a (free) pass for the day.
The Charlton Centre is very close to free and now have some more good shops in there, so definitely worth a look.
There's also many places in and around the Town where you can park for free - you just have to walk a little further.
BBC Radio Kent did broadcast a piece about the demise of the Dover Loyalty Scheme this morning, but it came across that the fault of the scheme was that it wasn't advertised enough.
Monthly adverts in the Dover Express; fortnightly articles in the Express; the quarterly newsletter; posters put in members' windows (and subsequently taken down); the web-site and over 1500 email addresses.
Does anyone know of any other ways it could have been promoted ?
I know this sounds like a grumble, but making personalised posters for the members businesses, putting them up in their window and then they take them down the day after, what can I do ?
If people have their eyes open, when they shop around Town, they'll see the information; many people tell me they walk around with their eyes shut - I guess metaphorically speaking.
Two people spoke about the Scheme, one (surprisingly to me) said it wasn't promoted enough.
Mike Webb spoke in support of the Scheme and the efforts I had put in, but as I have said many times, it needs a "body" to support it - financially and morally. Perhaps running voluntarily didn't help, but with no one putting any money into the Scheme, should it not have started ?
A comment was made that I should have charged a £1.00 for the card - I had thought about that a lot in the beginning, but discounted it as I wanted it to be at no cost to the card holder, but maybe they would have used it moré if they had paid for it.
Roger
