The Royals Shopping Centre Sold to Regis.

[Cricko]

I heard about this awhile back from DDV, now it seems it has gone through. I expect a lot of flats will emerge but at least it has a future now.

Royals Shopping Centre sold to owners of Roslin Hotel in multi-million pound deal

THE Royals Shopping Centre has been bought by the same company that runs the Roslin Beach Hotel as councillors and residents think the developer…

www.echo-news.co.uk

 

[Mad Cyril]

It was always the poor relation to The Victoria Shopping Centre and wind tunnel.

Estuary computing, Software Plus, that cheap Chinese place and Wimpy.

So many memories.

 

[Supershrimper]

I'd imagine it's largely empty now. Debenham has gone, Primark has moved to its new premises. H&M closed. Other than TK Maxx, Boots and Poundland and Card Factory the other stores haven't really got the same pulling power.

I've always felt Southend High Street is you long, with reasonable shopping centres at either end. A slightly smaller more compact shopping experience would be better.

 

[THE SEVENTIES NORTH BANK]

Yep, watch the flats go up with the sea view. That's the only reason it was bought.

 

[OldBlueLady]

They killed the Royals when they got rid of the food court.

 

[KAB]

There is a long term thought that shopping will slowly move above the rail bridge, below it will be a mix of bars, restaurants and housing.

 

[RHB]

I'd imagine it's largely empty now. Debenham has gone, Primark has moved to its new premises. H&M closed. Other than TK Maxx, Boots and Poundland and Card Factory the other stores haven't really got the same pulling power.

I've always felt Southend High Street is you long, with reasonable shopping centres at either end. A slightly smaller more compact shopping experience would be better.

I reckon Pandora would disagree on the pulling power front. That place always seems teeming with dribbling women and men with empty wallets after a visit.

 

[RobM]

Yep, watch the flats go up with the sea view. That's the only reason it was bought.

Gasps with surprise - not

 

[Tinks]

Such a shame the demise of the high street and in particular the shops in the Royals
I was always a person who shopped in Debenhams and loved all the outlets within the store. Losing Debenhams was a big loss to them.
I hope they try and rejuvenate the area

 

[rigsby]

They killed the Royals when they got rid of the food court.

It was failing before that. Closing all those office blocks, Lakeside, Bluewater, Chelmsford, expensive parking and the great unwashed harassing soft targets…. Means the rents ands rates don’t match the poor foot fall.

How to ruin Southend High street should be taught as part of any business degree.

 

[* ORM *]

It was failing before that. Closing all those office blocks, Lakeside, Bluewater, Chelmsford, expensive parking and the great unwashed harassing soft targets…. Means the rents ands rates don’t match the poor foot fall.

How to ruin Southend High street should be taught as part of any business degree.

I’m not entirely sure that’s limited to Southend. Braintree, for example, is now just coffee shops, Turkish barbers, estate agents and charity shops. Even Freeport or Designer Village as they like to call it is poor. If you’re going there for targeted shopping e.g new shirt from M&S then it works. Beyond that it’s not a place where you’re going to spend ages browsing unless you’re a diehard.

Southend’s biggest problem isn’t retail parks, it’s the length of the high street. No one had the foresight (not blaming them) to appreciate the long term effects of the change in shopping dynamics. Focussing shopping from Vic Circus down to the station and considering covering the High Street with anything south of that for housing would actually be a much better option in my opinion.

Chelmsford is altogether a better traditional high street experience still and my place of choice if I need things when I come back. You do need to pick your travel in and out times carefully.

Agree with the comment re Debenhams Southend though. I shopped a lot there especially for work shirts. You have to wonder if that had been in Vic Circus whether it would have survived.

 

[rigsby]

Th

I’m not entirely sure that’s limited to Southend. Braintree, for example, is now just coffee shops, Turkish barbers, estate agents and charity shops. Even Freeport or Designer Village as they like to call it is poor. If you’re going there for targeted shopping e.g new shirt from M&S then it works. Beyond that it’s not a place where you’re going to spend ages browsing unless you’re a diehard.

Southend’s biggest problem isn’t retail parks, it’s the length of the high street. No one had the foresight (not blaming them) to appreciate the long term effects of the change in shopping dynamics. Focussing shopping from Vic Circus down to the station and considering covering the High Street with anything south of that for housing would actually be a much better option in my opinion.

Chelmsford is altogether a better traditional high street experience still and my place of choice if I need things when I come back. You do need to pick your travel in and out times carefully.

Agree with the comment re Debenhams Southend though. I shopped a lot there especially for work shirts. You have to wonder if that had been in Vic Circus whether it would have survived.

The difference is Southend was the best in Essex and possibly the South East. everyone living in all the surrounding towns would come to shop. There was huge week day trade from all the office staff working in Vic ave.

Plus the best night life and club scene with coach’s coming from London etc. If you mentioned our town on holiday most people had heard of Tots or the Zero etc.

 

[WestStandBlue]

Th


The difference is Southend was the best in Essex and possibly the South East. everyone living in all the surrounding towns would come to shop. There was huge week day trade from all the office staff working in Vic ave.

Plus the best night life and club scene with coach’s coming from London etc. If you mentioned our town on holiday most people had heard of Tots or the Zero etc.

If you holiday in Benidorm

 

[Mad Cyril]

It was failing before that. Closing all those office blocks, Lakeside, Bluewater, Chelmsford, expensive parking and the great unwashed harassing soft targets…. Means the rents ands rates don’t match the poor foot fall.

How to ruin Southend High street should be taught as part of any business degree.

The Doctor Martens shop on Chelmsford Bond Street has closed.

A sign of things to come?

 

[C'mon you Shrimpers]

The thing with Chelmsford which I've never liked BTW (my wife does and drags me there frequently) is that apart from the centre and John Lewis that's about it. It doesn't have Southend's ribbon shopping roads (London Road to Southchurch Road) pretty much full of independent shops, convenience stores and restaurants and bars and then Leigh Broadway/Leigh Road, Hamlet Court Road to add to it. Not saying Southend doesn't have it's problems but having worked in Essex most of my life it is better than most of the other big towns. Colchester probably wins because of its history.

 

[RHB]

The thing with Chelmsford which I've never liked BTW (my wife does and drags me there frequently) is that apart from the centre and John Lewis that's about it. It doesn't have Southend's ribbon shopping roads (London Road to Southchurch Road) pretty much full of independent shops, convenience stores and restaurants and bars and then Leigh Broadway/Leigh Road, Hamlet Court Road to add to it. Not saying Southend doesn't have it's problems but having worked in Essex most of my life it is better than most of the other big towns. Colchester probably wins because of its history.

Definitely not for its high street, that's for sure. Most of the chain stores have left and M&S is doing so soon. Pretty grim there now.

 

[C'mon you Shrimpers]

The best thing about Regis taking over is that I guess they will build some flats and they will be expensive because of the view. The High Street definitely needs people with money to come in to the centre. I was in Southchurch Road last week helping son and daughter-in-law buy one of our granddaughter's first school uniform (ahhhhh). I had worked near Southchurch Road some 20 odd years ago and it was pretty vibrant. It is now full of NHS resources and MIND and lots of closed shops and restaurants. The only people in the street were patrons of Paul's the uniform shop and what I can only describe as layabouts talking loudly with cans of beer in their hands. Not a good look at all. If you only have people with no money living in or around the High Street it will get even worse as these people have little money to spend.

 

[Massimo Giovanni]

Would make a reasonable indoor amusement leisure area, ten pin bowling, maybe roller skating, rock climbing wall etc, it is well positioned for sea front?

 

[rigsby]

The Doctor Martens shop on Chelmsford Bond Street has closed.

A sign of things to come?

As anyone my age will tell you the only place to buy Docs was Victoria shoes. Growing up in Hullbridge In the late 70’s you couldn’t buy them in just any shop It had to be a trip to Vic shoes…..

It was embarrassing to not have cristened them by Friday night after the village hall disco.

We were entertained by the Shake Mohamed disco ( two blokes wearing tea towels and ray bands) Back then cultural misappropriation was wearing docs and not booting someone when the opportunity arose.

Two songs were banned…. Kung fu fighting, you can guess what happened…. Plus Ally’s Tartan Army….. The lads wearing docs would circle round and boot anyone suspected of even looking at an Arbroath smokey. Friendly fire had become a problem.

 

[rigsby]

If you holiday in Benidorm

People there know the best mobility scooter shops rather than Tots.

It’s far to northern for the likes of me