Working together to make West Ealing a better place for residents, businesses and visitors.
The new Lidl store in West Ealing opens its doors on Thursday 20th February.
Sainsbury’s will close an hour earlier at 9pm Monday to Saturday from Monday 3rd March. Is this a result of an increase in business rates and employer national insurance making that last hour from 9-10pm uneconomic?
In this edition:
View the newsletter here.
In this edition:
View the newsletter here.
In this issue:
View the newsletter here.
One by one the banks are closing in West Ealing. A few months ago the NatWest closed and now Santander is closing on 9th May as one of 140 branches the Spanish owned bank is shutting in response to the changes in how many of us bank. That leaves Barclays and Nationwide as the two main banks/building societies left in West Ealing. Not good news for those who need to see someone or have to bank actual cash.
A couple of days ago I saw the sign in the window at Bensons for Beds that it will close down on 16th September. Then I was told that Star Burger (Burger King as was) looks shut, temporarily or permanently is hard to tell. Followed by the recently-opened Foodies store which also looks closed. On top of these, Express Print has moved to Harrow. That makes four shops closing in the last month and all are in the stretch of the high street going west past Melbourne Ave.
It’s obvious that the footfall drops off drastically once you get past Melbourne Ave. Admittedly, not every shop relies on footfall. A good example, is Juniper which sells school uniforms. This is a destination shop to which people will travel because such specialist shops are few and far between. Nevertheless, for most shops, getting enough passing trade is going to be a vital part of survival.
It makes me wonder whether the Council should no longer insist that when a high street site falls empty or is redeveloped it must include ground floor retail space. What is the point when there are empty shops nearby? Wouldn’t it make more sense to allow housing on the ground floor? I think that may be what will happen when the site of the Community Shop, also in this same stretch of the high street, is eventually redeveloped.
High streets are all under pressure from our changing shopping habits. Every year the percentage of shopping done online goes up and we have less need for the high street shops. Sure, we can’t get our hair cut online, our nails manicured or our teeth filled but almost everything else we can easily buy online.
One of the most interesting people writing, not to say warning, about the future of our high streets is Bill Grimsey,one time head of Wickes and Iceland. He said recently:’
“Forget retail for town centres, they need to become community hubs based on health, education, entertainment, leisure and arts and crafts.”
Mr Grimsey’s report says that facilities such as libraries and digital and health hubs should be part of the offering to bring back people to town centres, together with housing and some independent shops.” The BBC article is worth a read. It may all be a coincidence that these shops are all in the stretch where the footfall drops off considerably but well worth thinking about what we want the future high street to look like.
Poundworld has appointed receivers for its nationwide chain of discount stores. The chain is just one of a number of high street retailers which have suffered over recent months – House of Fraser, Maplin and Toys ‘R’ Us being just a few. Its collapse puts at risk over 5,000 jobs nationwide.
The West Ealing branch is in the old Woolworth’s store and would probably have had to move with the site’s likely redevelopment(see story below).
The receivers Deloitte’s seem hopeful that some or all of the Poundworld stores will be bought.
It feels like it’s been a long time coming but BHS in West Ealing has finally closed. It was due to close some time ago when the site was sold for development but that was put on hold and it kept going until the whole of BHS went out of business.
For many who have lived here for all or much of their lives it will feel like the end of an era. BHS was the last of the multiples and department stores that once made West Ealing the main place to shop – better than Ealing Broadway. I could list all the shops that were once here but those days have long gone and West Ealing shops now offer a very different experience. They are far more ethnically diverse, mostly independently owned and we must have one of the best shopping centres in the borough for food. Rather than look back and regret what we have lost I think we should celebrate what we have. Sure, the high street is dominated by budget shopping and I would like to see a few other types of shop to give a bit more variety but I hardly ever need to leave West Ealing for my everyday shopping. I also think change will come as the Green Man Lane and Sherwood Close Estates get developed along with the BHS site. These developments will bring in many hundreds of new residents and I feel sure new opportunities for other types of shop will arise. It’s actually an exciting time for West Ealing and I’d love to be able to fast forward 10 years to see what the high street will look like in 2026. However, I’ll just have to wait.
The newly opened social enterprise Juice Cube (opposite Daniels) is a hub for helping homeless people this Christmas. Here’s how we can help:
‘Christmas is a time where many of us gather round the Christmas tree with the loved ones and sing the Christmas songs. Unfortunately for the homeless folks, Christmas is also a time where they have to battle the cold weather and the emotional turmoil of loneliness. We thought it is important to provide warm and safe accommodation to these folks during Christmas period, and show them a little love, remind them that they are not alone.
So we’ve partnered up with a few homeless shelters to spread a little bit of kindness during this season of giving. We will be handing out free clothes, serving foods and suspended juice (click on suspended juice to find out more or buy one here!) at the homeless shelters. We’d like to invite you to join us and spread some kindness either by giving us your time and volunteering (if you wish to volunteer, drop us an email at info@juice-cube.co.uk to find out more) with us on the selected day, or by giving us any free clothes or food that you would like us to pass to the homeless folks on your behalf. We are collecting the items listed below at our juice bar at 191, Uxbridge Road, Ealing, W13 9AA.
If you have any questions, please feel free to drop in at our shop, or contact us via email at info@juice-cube.co.uk, or simply give us a call at 020 8810 1297.’
Dramatic black gazebos lined the pavement in The Avenue for the launch of this new monthly antique and vintage market. The newly-established West Ealing Business Improvement District is behind this initiative and is part of its efforts to attract more shoppers to West Ealing. The market looked pretty busy mid-afternoon when I was there.
Market Manager Barry Tuffnell said: “The Avenue” in West Ealing saw the first Vintage and Antique Market launch in style on Saturday 27 September. The feedback from both dealers and market go-ers was incredibly positive. The aim is to build on the numbers of stalls each month – so there is definitely a reason to return month on month and see what you can pick up. The next dates are Saturday 25 October and Saturday 29 November, with a special Christmas fair on Saturday 13 December.
For further information: Twitter @Westealingbid. Facebook: The Avenue and Antique Market or email info@westealingbid.co.uk [Market manager: Barrie Tuffnell 07976704366].