Market Street Arcade

[cnosni]

raveydavey wrote: Leodian wrote: Walking through the Central Arcade a few days back it was noticeable just how almost no premises are in use. There's a Greggs at the main position at Briggate and virtually everything else is empty. Quite. This is one of the many things I don't understand regarding our fair city.There are empty shops scattered all over the place (including most of The Core and large parts of The Plaza), yet we've Trinity opening next year (big fanfare) with what seems like lots of big name retailers simply relocating from elsewhere in the city centre (more empty shops?) and persistent plans for the ongoing Eastgate Quarter, which in addition to giving us a vital John Lewis store seems destined to drag Marks and Sparks off Briggate and create a load more holes in the existing city centre shopping line up.It's much the same with office space - a fair amount unlet, eyts lots of plans for more.I'm sure it makes sense to someone... The Marks and Spencer on Briggate isnt moving as the proposed store fro Eastgate will concentrate on its non clothing/food lines.

[Leodian]

If the Eastgate/Harewood Quarter development does proceed then I think M&S will leave Briggate as they have (to the best of my knowledge) already agreed to take space in the Trinity complex and in having a store in the Eastgate/Harewood Quarter their site on Briggate will soon become surplus to needs. M&S (like all retailers) soon get rid of sites they no longer want, such as the men's clothes store that M&S had at where HMV now is in The Core. I'm unsure of this but I think M&S had a store for a short while where Zara now is but it soon closed (it may though have only been temporary).

[raveydavey]

Leodian wrote: If the Eastgate/Harewood Quarter development does proceed then I think M&S will leave Briggate as they have (to the best of my knowledge) already agreed to take space in the Trinity complex and in having a store in the Eastgate/Harewood Quarter their site on Briggate will soon become surplus to needs. M&S (like all retailers) soon get rid of sites they no longer want, such as the men's clothes store that M&S had at where HMV now is in The Core. I'm unsure of this but I think M&S had a store for a short while where Zara now is but it soon closed (it may though have only been temporary). You are right, they did - the former Littlewoods store. They had a footprint design put on the pavement to guide shoppers betwixt the shops on either side of Briggate.It's always worth remembering that the biggest name stores often get offered prime locations at vastly reduced rents in new shopping malls to act as "anchor" stores - the idea being that the big names attract footfall, thereby attracting other retailers to take the remaining units. So I'd imagine that Marks', like any other business, would have no hesitation in making a move if the deal was right.

[jonleeds]

Reginald Perrin, I thought the 1970s era skateboard shop 'Truckstop' was up by the Merrion Centre? I cant remember going in cos I was only about 4 year old. I actually have some advertising flyers, price lists and receipts from Truckstop. G+S Fibreflex decks, some pretty expensive kit was peddled from there.I thought this arcade had closed down years ago, all the shops in the photos look like something from the 1970s. Wasnt there a store down there called Bankrupt Jeans for a while where they had denim piled to the rafters? I remember when Famous Army Stores was located at the entrance on Briggate, plus didnt there used to be a subway at the Briggate end so you could cross the road when Briggate was a busy high street before its pedestrianisation?Its a shame when all these retro shopping places get redeveloped, I mean this arcade was dire anyway aesthetically, but many other places that had real character disappear under the developers plans for modernisation. I tell you where is still quite a timewarp street - Kirkgate! It looks like its not changed for donkeys years, although with the restoration of the original Cloth Hall the gentrification may have already started. Another favorite of mine used to be the Merrion Centre Market, but sadly that seems to have been gradually run down - is it still even going? I remember in the 1970s to the mid '90s it was thriving. Anyone remember that shop that sold nothing but patches? Usually of heavy metal bands? And that second hand record shop? What was it called? I can remember I bought some great vinyl there.

[anthonydna]

Was called Gerols, great shop.