tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273124520330547347.post8434040197775517872..comments2023-10-04T16:22:32.920+01:00Comments on Thanet Strife: NO DOUBT ABOUT CLOSURES IN CLIFFTONVILLEBertie Biggleshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14197385124719226254noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273124520330547347.post-70633456273517875242008-04-05T13:03:00.000+01:002008-04-05T13:03:00.000+01:00Bertie I am, but what will get me in the end is th...Bertie I am, but what will get me in the end is the combined attitude of national and local government to planning. While the shop landlords know that they can easily get planning permission to convert the shop buildings to residential use, when the leases come up for renewal the rents reflect the rent that would be obtained from residential occupation and not the profit than can be obtained from a shop in the building. Oddly enough I am doing quite well at the moment but not as well as I was in 1988 when the building was worth about £30,000 and a fair rent 10% of this was about £3,000 per annum. Now the building is worth about £300,000 and converted into apartments would generate in excess of £30,000 per annum. I expect my turnover this year to be about £50,000 and very much doubt that any other sort of shop on this site would do much better. My brother closed his bookshop in St Albans and my father his in Wimborne Minster both in the last year and both for this reason.Michael Childhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09499435016469020417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273124520330547347.post-32440944760697089872008-04-04T22:16:00.000+01:002008-04-04T22:16:00.000+01:00Hang on in there, Michael!Hang on in there, Michael!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273124520330547347.post-71947349640292067842008-04-04T14:31:00.000+01:002008-04-04T14:31:00.000+01:00Not to worry we will get a state subsidised booksh...Not to worry we will get a state subsidised bookshop in Turner K9 and if my suspicions about the viability of Waterstones and Smiths at WC are correct we may well wind up with it being the only new bookshop in Thanet. (Mine is mostly secondhand apart from local history)Michael Childhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09499435016469020417noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273124520330547347.post-41838767617138543352008-04-04T10:47:00.000+01:002008-04-04T10:47:00.000+01:00Albion Bookshop in Broadstairs has a 'closing down...Albion Bookshop in Broadstairs has a 'closing down sale' sign in the window this morning.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273124520330547347.post-33712155402734713642008-04-04T09:41:00.000+01:002008-04-04T09:41:00.000+01:00http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=6152http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=6152Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273124520330547347.post-16756776141346695512008-04-04T09:05:00.000+01:002008-04-04T09:05:00.000+01:00Parking cost going up in all our town centres. How...Parking cost going up in all our town centres. How much do the Council charge for parking at Westwood Cross? NOTHING think that say everything about this Council and our Local town centres.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273124520330547347.post-44253436894637285822008-04-04T06:46:00.000+01:002008-04-04T06:46:00.000+01:00"The Lord helps those who help themselves"."The Lord helps those who help themselves".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273124520330547347.post-35217917462282580632008-04-04T00:23:00.000+01:002008-04-04T00:23:00.000+01:00One would think so , as 'Our Leader'was and is sti...One would think so , as 'Our Leader'was and is still in the carpet trade operating out of Northdown Carpets in Northdown Road?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273124520330547347.post-65786533902883894412008-04-03T21:09:00.000+01:002008-04-03T21:09:00.000+01:0050p for a half hour to park in Broadstairs and thi...50p for a half hour to park in Broadstairs and this from a Tory council. I thought the Tory Party was the party of business, especially small business.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273124520330547347.post-40962027631084179672008-04-03T21:07:00.000+01:002008-04-03T21:07:00.000+01:00We used to use the Broadstairs Albion Bookshop reg...We used to use the Broadstairs Albion Bookshop regularly until they badly let us down over an essential book order. There is, sadly, no way these independents can compete with online booksellers or shops like Waterstone's with their 3 for 2 offers. Rightly or wrongly, it's called progress or the cold hard facts of economic life. There's no such thing as customer loyalty where money is concerned. Books are, for the retailer like Waterstone's, no different to cans of baked beans.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273124520330547347.post-47991591318709140412008-04-03T18:28:00.000+01:002008-04-03T18:28:00.000+01:00Amazon.Market ForcesNo such thing as society.Now s...Amazon.<BR/><BR/>Market Forces<BR/><BR/>No such thing as society.<BR/><BR/>Now simmer in it. Ha ha ha.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-273124520330547347.post-16048936776041958232008-04-03T18:01:00.000+01:002008-04-03T18:01:00.000+01:00You might be a little previous with the closure of...You might be a little previous with the closure of Albion Bookshops. One of their assistants told me a few days ago they had to sell all the books first - or as many as they could.<BR/><BR/>Both C'ville and Broadstairs shops will be going and while there is no definite time frame, my spy told me both shops 'would be gone by the summer'.<BR/><BR/>Very sad all the same. They blame the supermarkets for the downturn - 'We can't beat £8 for Delia's latest book in Tescos,' is what I was told.<BR/><BR/>Symptomatic of our times. Publishers of local books will have two fewer outlets through which to sell their wares - so it's bad news for seller as well as buyers.<BR/><BR/>NickAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com