Town's M&S is not a loss

4:21pm Thursday 1st November 2012 in Letters

I FIND the widely-held view that Newport’s Marks & Spencer is symbolic of the success or otherwise of the town totally bewildering.

Never have I been into a duller branch. In 15 years I just may have bought a couple of pairs of pyjamas. Even the food department is small and drearily stocked. After the gob-smacking discovery the branch didn’t stock Per Una, surely the main reason for women to shop at M&S, I became convinced that the company’s HQ had the shop on its D list.

All I can say is get out a bit, go to Cwmbran, Culverhouse Cross, Cribbs Causeway and, of course, in January to Spytty, to see what you have been missing.

I’m sure the staff will be over the moon to have a ‘proper’ branch at last.

T Perry, Penhow, Caldicot

Comments(8)

Bobevans says...
4:55pm Thu 1 Nov 12

Clearly a few years ago M&S in Newport decided the store was not in a location that had any future and that is was not worth spending much money on.

As for Per Uno I don't thing that clothing range fits in with the demographics of the typical Newport city centre customer. I will though be suprissed if the Newport retail park branch does not stock it.

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chris227 says...
6:47pm Thu 1 Nov 12

the only shops that will prosper in newport are ones selling shell suits, caps, naff trainers, cheap jewelry, collars for staffs and walking sticks and walking frames (props for disability claimants)

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merlin the silure says...
6:53pm Thu 1 Nov 12

chris227 wrote:
the only shops that will prosper in newport are ones selling shell suits, caps, naff trainers, cheap jewelry, collars for staffs and walking sticks and walking frames (props for disability claimants)
chris-you've forgotten the tattoo parlours where the biffas with their muffin tops,croydon facelifts and hooped earings big enough to hang a battleship can get "dave"(inked out),"jason"(inked out) etc etc

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Bobevans says...
8:02pm Thu 1 Nov 12

There is a cap in the market in Newport for a Botox and Boob job Parlour

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Mr Angry says...
11:42am Fri 2 Nov 12

Last month I took my children to Thorpe Park. Waiting for the train home I spent some time in Chertsy in prosperous Surrey. And guess what, there were quite a few boarded up shops, eople wearing track \ shell suits, and even baseball caps.

I was surprised, I thought Newport was the only place in the entire UK to have these problems.

Clearly Bob and Chris are liars of the highest order.

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chris227 says...
4:49pm Sat 3 Nov 12

not sure why we are liars a simple drive through newport will confirm what i have said. you will always get a few odd shell suit wearers and staffi owners in the more deprived parts of any town but not in the huge numbers as in newport

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james.dyer7@ntlworld.com says...
8:38am Sun 4 Nov 12

some good points, Chris.

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Oddjob says...
12:04pm Mon 5 Nov 12

It's obvious that people now prefer to shop on line or use out of town retail parks where they can park their motors with relative ease and for free. Newport City centre will never be able to compete with the likes of Cardiff and there dosen't seem to be the will, the land or the money to locate an out of town shopping area such as Bristol has at Cribbs Causeway. Newport City Centre isn't that much different than lots of other small Cities and Towns as regards to boarded up shops. Gloucester City Centre is larger than Newports and the last time I visited was very surprised at the number of shops that were boarded up but to counter that, a new shopping 'Mall' called the Keys has been built, not as large and grand as St Davis in Cardiff but miles ahead of anything here in Newport. The time to have spent money on a decent in-town shopping centre has long passed. Those who don't have personal transport for out of town shopping malls will unfortunately have to climb aboard a bus or whistle Dixie. In-town Shopping areas of any note are becoming far and few just like Post offices and Banks.

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