More Retail Woes - Intu Needs More Cash
In the News
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-51173668
shopping centre owner Intu seems to be struggling, and I’m not surprised as a few of them near me operated by Intu
Very surprised at how many shop units are empty in so many town/shopping centres, yet the landlords continue to ask high rents and charge customers high car parking charges , surely lower rents are better than none from an empty unit . In my local town M&S closed 18 months ago claiming rents were too high, this large shop unit has just lay empty ever since . Also I think customers are put off by parking charges especially when they can go to outside retail parks and park free of charge .
I know this isn't the only issues affecting retail but it would be a start .
Government is already borrowing huge amounts of money so they seem reluctant to reduce taxes which would increase borrowing. We need new policies that promote local shopping more, tax breaks for selling local produce, s/hand and refurbished items and punish heavy use of couriers especially clothes where many people are ordering and returning goods frequently that don't fit or don't look the same as online. Those sort of purchases need to be made locally where you can see the item and check it fits before purchasing. Maybe a minimum cost for delivery and return would sway some people from online purchases. I.e. instead of a £20 dress its a £15 dress but a £5 deliver charge and that £5 delivery charge is not refunded if you return the item unless the item was actually faulty. We need to make sure that serial returners pay the full cost of their actions.
There are a huge number of policies that could be implemented to massively assist the high street, reduce damage to the environment and improve our trade deficit. Someone will always be upset by such policies but ultimately we have to run an economy that benefits people in the UK not those in other countries. At the moment we are caught it seems between left wing idealism and right wing idealism but the reality is we need to move to the sensible middle ground of how commerce should operate.
I quite Intu shopping centres, but they are really out of the way for me so I don't often shop there. It would be a shame if they also go under
The days of Malls appear to have gone. Too many empty shops, over taken by companies like Amazon, but hey, should they not try and compete more and get these customers back?
I have 3 Intu centres near me, one is practically empty with about 3 shops remaining, it's dark, dingy and very unwelcoming, another whilst full, mainly with designer shops, the parking is so expensive you may as well just hand over your car as payment, though there are good park and rides in operation. The last is in a town with nothing else going for it so doesn't attract footfall. All 3 were owned by Westfield before becoming Intu centres and they were a pleasure to shop in.
The problem is if Intu do go into administration, who is likely to bail them out or buy them? If nobody does that's a lot of businesses that will go under with them
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