One of the main reasons why some of the shops are closing down in Sutton Coldfield is because of the high rents which shop's are struggling even to reach there targets for selling stuff to keep open. Now days you have to travel all the way to star city or somewhere else to go to the cinema as the one in Sutton Coldfield is still closed.
The Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield is my childhood home and this is sad to see! 😥 BHS closed everywhere in the U.K., Marks & Spencer (M&S) though decided to close that store in the Gracechurch Shopping Centre. M&S was _definitely_ part of the Sutton Coldfield furniture! But then, so was Beatties before House of Fraser took its place. I wonder what Bishop Vesey would feel now if he saw his beloved town today?
Same here. All the wonderful shops of my childhood gone. I remember the lovely sports shops they had. Fosters the clothes store, concept man, mad house etc etc. Tragic.
Online did not kill sutton Coldfield centre, 65% of the grace chirch shopping centre is riddled with aspestos and they tried to force the traders to pay for the removal of the aspestos, so 60 % off the traders left, wilko cant use there upstairs storage area because of aspestos.
Then to top it off they scammed the stall traders in one way or another, I was a seasonal trader over the Christmas period in Sutton Coldfield grace chirch, and they rang me up and said if i book 4 weeks longer than i usually do they could give me the spot outside marks and Spencers ( the spot I always try to get ) so I said ok and signed and paid the contract, then a week before I went to Sutton just to check my spot had the same unit and other bits and bobs, and marks and Spencers was closed down, I rang them and said cancel the contract please and refund me, as I'd be stuck outside a big empty shop, she then said to me " I should not be telling you this so please keep it to yourself but 2 weeks after you move in sainsbury's will be taking over the marks shop, so I said OK fine keep the contract how it is, as went a new big shop opens in a mall there is a lot of buzz and would be great for my little business, the 2 weeks came and the 2 weeks went and no sainsbury's, I rang her up and said when is sainsbury's moving in there is no sign of any activitie in the old m and s shop, she said yes it's closed down, I said where is sainsbury's, she said there is no sainsbury's in the centre, I said you told me sainsbury's was moving in, and she said well they are not now, I said I need a reduction in the rent or a refund, and she said no I held up my end of the bargain I got you the spot outside m and s, I said but it's worthless now as it's just an empty shop, and she said weather it's a empty shop or m and s it makes no difference, I never paid my last rent and I have never traded there since, they sent me a solicitor letter to pay the last rent payment or I'd be going to court and blacklisted, I said I'll take my chances in court. And I never heared back from them about court, but space and people and pop retail are petty and I'm black listed from trading in all malls they represent. Dee Stewart was the lady I was dealing with, then when I tried to chase it up to try and come to some sort of mutual ground, they said Dee Stewart no longer worked there and I was dealing with another guy.
I had a feeling it was more to do with Online Shopping. Sutton was lovely. It felt safe, had a good vibe, smelt nice, security around, great shops. It was nice to just go and walk around. Mark and Spencers was absolutely THRIVING. M&S said early on they were moving out because of the asbestos, so it had a ripple effect with other shops. I could never accept online killed it. Now it makes sense. They could resurrect Sutton if they sorted the asbestos. Just out of interest what was the rent you paid and was it highly profitable?
@@acquiesce100 It was always slightly low footfall but sutton was filled with great loyal customers so I did ok when things where ok in the mall, but when they stopped getting in attractions like the big talking robot and the Christmas train and then the choir stopped coming. It truly was a ghost town,
@@maxhammer4067 The baked potatoe man when he had his stand outside WHSmiths in the 80's and 90's made serious bank. He lived on the most expensive road in Sutton where the footballers lived. I remember as a kid, he had ques lining up. He was a bit miserable though. I remember the train and the choir. Good grief, they could bring this once lovely town back if they sort the asbestos. M&S was thriving, so was Boots next to it. It all complimented each other. The locals are so upset how it's gone. The Forte is horrible and Tamworth doesn't have the same vibe as Gracechurch did. It needs to come back.
Drove through Millfield, Peterborough yesterday. It's meant to be really grotty but it was full of open shops, loads of people shopping and in the streets, a bustling thriving place. City centres have become ghost towns due to rates and rents. Let retail free and it thrives.
Great but ultimately sad video Mr T. This is also what my home town has become. Reason for this desolate town centre is more than online shopping which if anything should compliment the high street, it's the gradual, purposeful destruction of small-medium sized businesses by both mainstream parties over 30 years, supplemented by local authority greed and the unnecessary and frankly mental COVID lockdowns. Exactly why we are in the process of relocating to Lanzarote - UK is a toilet and its finished.
Yep, sick and tired of hearing the well versed lie of high streets dying due to the "convenience of online shopping". Online shopping anything but convenient!
Just come back from Solihull Town Centre and it's thriving and we've just come back from Lanzarote and the scooters are a real pain on the Puerto Del Carmen Front😢😢😢
Hiya Dave. No need to get Alfie any Greggs sausage rolls from Sutton. They sell them (Frozen) at the Overseas shop in Playa Blanca. Shove them in the oven for 20 mins and you can't tell them from shop bought. They sell chicken & steak bakes too - delicious! 😋😋😋
Shame to see. Sutton coldfield always makes me smile. Where I went to join the army, British army selection centre used to be there so all soldiers went through there. 1985 so a while ago
@@acquiesce100 do you mean the location of the selection Centre? St George's Barracks? Assuming you do, here's a brief overview. The gatehouse was on the junction of rectory road and Carhampton Road, B75. There's a fair bit of history available if you want to look it up. The current Mod Estates site near Whitehouse Common used to be the back end of the Barracks, with the firing ranges and assault course if memory serves me correctly. I remember it from the annual open day every year for the St George's Day celebrations. When the army let 10 year old kids fire the. 22 in the rifle range, climb in the vehicles. Displays. Sometimes a Red Arrows flypast. It was awesome and totally free. Big even for us estate kids back then ☺. It was previously an RAF airfield in WW2, which there is even more history about. I moved away years ago, but the old bomb craters should still be visible in the woods in Rectory Park.
@@Rachel_M_ I didn't mean that one but I know where you mean. And thank you so much for the history. The one we were talking about was in Gracechurch shopping center if I am correct. I just can't remember where it was.
Business rate need reducing, & lower VAT on food stores particularly Fishmongers to boost trade, particularly given we're an a island nation with only a few Fishmongers in the whole country.
Hi Dave, I'm in Edinburgh, the place is now decimated in the capital with Tat shops, for holidaymakers etc. The shops have gone, shame indeed. Well I'm off back to PDC two weeks today. Can't wait. I go for a five times a year. Hopefully bump into you in PDC. shame about Sutton coalfield too 😕 Have a good one Clive 👍
@@Rose_19911 I think we’ll have to disagree on this one… The reason the pubs closed down was because of all of the “riff-raff”. Lichfield is my go-to now, but even the shops there are crap. And closing. But at least it’s a nice place to be… It’s just the way of all of the UK towns now. The internet has killed the high street!
That Town has so much trouble and antisocial behaviour now, the other day there were scramblers doing wheelies along the main pedestrian Street (Parade), and there were school kids fighting which resulted in the Gracechurch centre security getting hit.
Im from Oxfordshire but i have lived in handsworth for about year now and im 24 years old and im definitely looking forward too spending the rest of my adult life there in about 2 mouths i wii be getting a nice brand know flat too live in soon definitely better then shitty handsworth
One of the main reasons why some of the shops are closing down in Sutton Coldfield is because of the high rents which shop's are struggling even to reach there targets for selling stuff to keep open. Now days you have to travel all the way to star city or somewhere else to go to the cinema as the one in Sutton Coldfield is still closed.
such a pity it was a great shopping place
@@MrTravelONWorld yeses going even further.ua-cam.com/video/4MAIa4Lg320/v-deo.htmlsi=HhpcsCUcKOM9Wty_
The Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield is my childhood home and this is sad to see! 😥 BHS closed everywhere in the U.K., Marks & Spencer (M&S) though decided to close that store in the Gracechurch Shopping Centre. M&S was _definitely_ part of the Sutton Coldfield furniture! But then, so was Beatties before House of Fraser took its place. I wonder what Bishop Vesey would feel now if he saw his beloved town today?
I know such a shame
Same here. All the wonderful shops of my childhood gone. I remember the lovely sports shops they had. Fosters the clothes store, concept man, mad house etc etc. Tragic.
@@acquiesce100 ua-cam.com/video/4MAIa4Lg320/v-deo.htmlsi=HhpcsCUcKOM9Wty_
It needs sorting ua-cam.com/video/U6n1aiWb2fU/v-deo.htmlsi=es0oXl6YPVZYo00R
Online did not kill sutton Coldfield centre, 65% of the grace chirch shopping centre is riddled with aspestos and they tried to force the traders to pay for the removal of the aspestos, so 60 % off the traders left, wilko cant use there upstairs storage area because of aspestos.
wow really thats interesting thanks so much for sharing
Then to top it off they scammed the stall traders in one way or another, I was a seasonal trader over the Christmas period in Sutton Coldfield grace chirch, and they rang me up and said if i book 4 weeks longer than i usually do they could give me the spot outside marks and Spencers ( the spot I always try to get ) so I said ok and signed and paid the contract, then a week before I went to Sutton just to check my spot had the same unit and other bits and bobs, and marks and Spencers was closed down, I rang them and said cancel the contract please and refund me, as I'd be stuck outside a big empty shop, she then said to me " I should not be telling you this so please keep it to yourself but 2 weeks after you move in sainsbury's will be taking over the marks shop, so I said OK fine keep the contract how it is, as went a new big shop opens in a mall there is a lot of buzz and would be great for my little business, the 2 weeks came and the 2 weeks went and no sainsbury's, I rang her up and said when is sainsbury's moving in there is no sign of any activitie in the old m and s shop, she said yes it's closed down, I said where is sainsbury's, she said there is no sainsbury's in the centre, I said you told me sainsbury's was moving in, and she said well they are not now, I said I need a reduction in the rent or a refund, and she said no I held up my end of the bargain I got you the spot outside m and s, I said but it's worthless now as it's just an empty shop, and she said weather it's a empty shop or m and s it makes no difference, I never paid my last rent and I have never traded there since, they sent me a solicitor letter to pay the last rent payment or I'd be going to court and blacklisted, I said I'll take my chances in court. And I never heared back from them about court, but space and people and pop retail are petty and I'm black listed from trading in all malls they represent. Dee Stewart was the lady I was dealing with, then when I tried to chase it up to try and come to some sort of mutual ground, they said Dee Stewart no longer worked there and I was dealing with another guy.
I had a feeling it was more to do with Online Shopping. Sutton was lovely. It felt safe, had a good vibe, smelt nice, security around, great shops. It was nice to just go and walk around. Mark and Spencers was absolutely THRIVING. M&S said early on they were moving out because of the asbestos, so it had a ripple effect with other shops. I could never accept online killed it. Now it makes sense. They could resurrect Sutton if they sorted the asbestos. Just out of interest what was the rent you paid and was it highly profitable?
@@acquiesce100
It was always slightly low footfall but sutton was filled with great loyal customers so I did ok when things where ok in the mall, but when they stopped getting in attractions like the big talking robot and the Christmas train and then the choir stopped coming. It truly was a ghost town,
@@maxhammer4067 The baked potatoe man when he had his stand outside WHSmiths in the 80's and 90's made serious bank. He lived on the most expensive road in Sutton where the footballers lived. I remember as a kid, he had ques lining up. He was a bit miserable though. I remember the train and the choir. Good grief, they could bring this once lovely town back if they sort the asbestos. M&S was thriving, so was Boots next to it. It all complimented each other. The locals are so upset how it's gone. The Forte is horrible and Tamworth doesn't have the same vibe as Gracechurch did. It needs to come back.
Drove through Millfield, Peterborough yesterday. It's meant to be really grotty but it was full of open shops, loads of people shopping and in the streets, a bustling thriving place.
City centres have become ghost towns due to rates and rents.
Let retail free and it thrives.
I agree
Great but ultimately sad video Mr T. This is also what my home town has become. Reason for this desolate town centre is more than online shopping which if anything should compliment the high street, it's the gradual, purposeful destruction of small-medium sized businesses by both mainstream parties over 30 years, supplemented by local authority greed and the unnecessary and frankly mental COVID lockdowns. Exactly why we are in the process of relocating to Lanzarote - UK is a toilet and its finished.
Here still very much has shopping mate infact Amazon takes ages to arrive so you have to shop
Yep, sick and tired of hearing the well versed lie of high streets dying due to the "convenience of online shopping". Online shopping anything but convenient!
Just come back from Solihull Town Centre and it's thriving and we've just come back from Lanzarote and the scooters are a real pain on the Puerto Del Carmen Front😢😢😢
They really are I hate the scooters
Hiya Dave. No need to get Alfie any Greggs sausage rolls from Sutton. They sell them (Frozen) at the Overseas shop in Playa Blanca. Shove them in the oven for 20 mins and you can't tell them from shop bought. They sell chicken & steak bakes too - delicious!
😋😋😋
ha ha dont i know it mate he makes me buy them but nothing beats the real deal ha ha
There cheaper in the UK lol :)
Shame to see. Sutton coldfield always makes me smile. Where I went to join the army, British army selection centre used to be there so all soldiers went through there. 1985 so a while ago
No way I also remember there being one in the Palacades in Birmingham
I grew up near St George's Barracks National Selection Centre, before it was sold off for housing in the mid 90's.
Wow. Where abouts was it? I grew up here.
@@acquiesce100 do you mean the location of the selection Centre? St George's Barracks? Assuming you do, here's a brief overview.
The gatehouse was on the junction of rectory road and Carhampton Road, B75.
There's a fair bit of history available if you want to look it up.
The current Mod Estates site near Whitehouse Common used to be the back end of the Barracks, with the firing ranges and assault course if memory serves me correctly. I remember it from the annual open day every year for the St George's Day celebrations. When the army let 10 year old kids fire the. 22 in the rifle range, climb in the vehicles. Displays. Sometimes a Red Arrows flypast. It was awesome and totally free. Big even for us estate kids back then ☺.
It was previously an RAF airfield in WW2, which there is even more history about.
I moved away years ago, but the old bomb craters should still be visible in the woods in Rectory Park.
@@Rachel_M_ I didn't mean that one but I know where you mean. And thank you so much for the history. The one we were talking about was in Gracechurch shopping center if I am correct. I just can't remember where it was.
Business rate need reducing, & lower VAT on food stores particularly Fishmongers to boost trade, particularly given we're an a island nation with only a few Fishmongers in the whole country.
Totally agree
Southport's famous Lord street is buzzing this week..the sunshine helps..🌞
Thats good
So sad, back in the day when Beatties was the big department store it was vibrant. Great tour though🐞
So sad
Where do you live again? You never mentioned it!
LANZAROTE
Hi Dave, I'm in Edinburgh, the place is now decimated in the capital with Tat shops, for holidaymakers etc. The shops have gone, shame indeed.
Well I'm off back to PDC two weeks today. Can't wait. I go for a five times a year.
Hopefully bump into you in PDC. shame about Sutton coalfield too 😕
Have a good one
Clive 👍
Its terrible Clive but plenty of tat shops here ha ha but at least in the sun
@@MrTravelONWorld
Too many ha ha. We are staying at the Arena Dorada, this time. Montana club September and Arena Dorada again December 😉👍
@@clivep3515 perfect ill be usually up that way sunday mornings
Just so I'm clear, does this bloke live in Lanzarote?
Yes ha ha
Every high street has gone down .. I’m in Redditch the town is dead there has well ..☹️☹️
such a shame
I went to school there in the 80’s and 90’s. It was buzzing with shops and bars. Now… It’s a dead old dump!
agreed
it’s not a dump at all, I visit every day & that’s far from the truth
@@Rose_19911 You need to get out and about more… It’s a dump! Half of it is closed! Are you blind?
@@ektrolleyboythe coffee shops are still there, banks, taco bell, boots, greggs…
@@Rose_19911 I think we’ll have to disagree on this one… The reason the pubs closed down was because of all of the “riff-raff”. Lichfield is my go-to now, but even the shops there are crap. And closing. But at least it’s a nice place to be… It’s just the way of all of the UK towns now. The internet has killed the high street!
What day and time was this?
Think it was a Monday morning mate
That Town has so much trouble and antisocial behaviour now, the other day there were scramblers doing wheelies along the main pedestrian Street (Parade), and there were school kids fighting which resulted in the Gracechurch centre security getting hit.
World has gone crazy
It certainly has!
On god that fight was so funny bro
Ooooooo 😂 try living in brum u tit 😅
Absolute paradise compared to the dump that is now Bolton.
Oh no
Im from Oxfordshire but i have lived in handsworth for about year now and im 24 years old and im definitely looking forward too spending the rest of my adult life there in about 2 mouths i wii be getting a nice brand know flat too live in soon definitely better then shitty handsworth
My co-op stopped stocking powdered milk/cream...ordered from Amazon,cheaper,job done...these stores have only themselves to blame.
I agree
Great video but lots of places going down ❤
They are Susan
This is where i have my hair dressers in this street
Really I'm here now back in December if you want me pass by and make.a video
@MrTravelONWorld ye that would be great
@Besties_13-h8b where is it ill come find you
@@MrTravelONWorld syer hair and beauty
I wonderd if you done this lol
ha ha never miss an opportunity
I bet you’re a villa fan now I’ve seen u visiting there .. otherwise you would of been in Northfield lol …
I didnt grow up here I grew up West Heath Northfield way mate ha ha
Is it right that 154 immigrants have arrived on boats in lanzorate
I dont think all at once but there are many small boats arriving