just heard about the new factory got to be a bit of good news for the area https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/n...rms-will-open-warehouse-gateshead-later-year/ please log in to view this image
Good news for Tyneside I’m the short term maybe. In the bigger picture online shopping is costing thousands of jobs.
In the same way supermarkets desimated local businesses, online shopping is and will do the same. One way traffic I'm afraid though, Amazon's business model is just too big to stop. At least the region will benefit from it a little.
Not my cup of tea, Amazon is one of those that ticks over on ridiculous amounts of political correctness and massive amounts of general Bullshoite. You've just got to look at their TV commercials.
The thing that’s killing the shops is greedy landlords refusing to budge on rents, and outrageous business rates that the UK government still hasn’t properly reviewed. This makes it impossible for retail to lower prices, and drives folk online. I personally prefer online shopping, many prefer retail, but nobody in their right mind is gonna pay extra just to go to a shop. I can walk into JD Sports as an example, see a pair of trainers, then go on their own website and buy with free delivery for £15-20 less. Hopefully all these huge hedge funds behind city centre ownership and rents all start getting ****ed and change happens before it’s too late, walking around Newcastle city centre on Monday, the amount of empty units, and some of them absolute prime space around Monument, is shocking. Its happened Sunderland and Metro, but when it’s happening Newcastle you know it’s hitting deep.
Its not in Gateshead its on the outskirts of Washington built on what was once farmers fields, that area was a lovely part of Washington only a few years ago, its an industrial eyesore now. What makes it worse is there are hundreds of empty factories scattered all over Washington on various industrial estates. Probably one of the last remaining green belt lands in Washington gone for ever contributing the end of the high street. Sad in my opinion.
Not when you see once bustling high streets like Concord reduced to takeaway & betting shop alley ! You could buy anything from there when I was young, now all you can get is a takeaway, a bet, a pint and a black eye. Even the Galleries is suffering now, many shops closed down, its the same all over the area, Shiney Row front street, Houghton front street, Hylton Road, I could go on for ever.
Amazon opened a huge factory in Darlington a few months ago, seems they're covering the North East pretty well and if it means jobs then so be it.
I always use local Butchers for my meat, Greengrocers for my Veg, I try to support as best I can, we are loosing a way of life and trades will die out.
i can go back years and remember Crowtree Road before the Leisure centre was built, just rows of shops for young impressionable lads to buy their hipsters flairs and all fashion items, and if owt didn't fit they would do alterations there and then, it was like made to measure, Hendon road was the same
there is a lot to be said for the internet, and equally a lot to be said against it... first to go that i noticed was hetton downs, lovely little street with a decent mix of shops, now all take-aways... sad days.
my son-in-law works at bowburn one, he loves. 8-6 mon&tues, wed off, 8-6 thurs&fri, then weekends off. loads of overtime (optional) and good holidays. makes twice what he was on the sites (labouring) and warm &dry every day.
Up Concord in Washington you could buy your food shopping, buy a suit, buy a 3 piece, furniture, school uniforms, shoes, book a holiday you could even have a game of snooker or go to the pictures. Now its pubs ( which have always been there mind apart from spoons ) 8 or 9 pizza shops, 3 Indians, 3 Chinese, 3 betting shops, 2 cake takeway shops, 2 sunbed shops, 3 or 4 hairdressers. Its garbage, and people wonder why obesity is on the rise and gambling is out of control, I have lived in Washington all my life and its sad to see how its turned out.