High street concerns but Blackpool M&S 'doing well' says council leader
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Coun Williams comments come as the national retailer revealed plans to close 67 of its bigger shops within five years, but did not reveal the locations.
She was speaking in response to a report to the council’s Scrutiny Leadership Board about property vacancies in Blackpool town centre.
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Hide AdCommittee chairman Coun Maxine Callow said she was concerned the resort’s M&S store on Church Street had reduced from three to two trading stores and scaled down the size of its food department.
Coun Callow said: “Many people now use the M&S Simply Food stores in Cleveleys and St Annes instead.”
But Coun Williams said: “The Blackpool M&S had its best Christmas season last year.
“It was the same with our Debenhams. It was one of the top performing stores so it was frustrating to lose that.”
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Hide AdA report to the committee said just over half of all units in the town centre had been in business consistently since February 2019 – with 38 per cent of these being restaurants, leisure uses, pubs, clubs and fast food outlets.
In August this year, there were 15 new businesses in the town centre including Lids in the Houndshill Centre, Records and Relics in Church Street and Precious Gifts in Clifton Street.
Coun Williams said Blackpool was working hard to bring people into the town centre, including with a packed programme of events.
She added: “There are national factors impacting on the high street, but we want to fill those units.”
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Hide AdCoun Gerard Walsh asked if the council was talking to more property landlords to find out what the main barriers were to finding new tenants.
He said: “What is the council doing to contact landlords, especially those from out of town, to ask what is happening with units?
“Then we could create a dialogue and ask why these units are empty. If you look at Birley Street and Clifton Street, those outlets with their floor space may not be attracting national retailers, but we need to have that conversation.”