Farm Foods urged to try harder to keep Nelson store
5:00pm Monday 1st October 2012 in News
FRESH demands are being made to ensure town hall bosses do more to help persuade Farm Foods to remain in Nelson.
The chain’s store in the Pendle Rise shopping centre is set to close at Christmas.
But opposition councillors, led by Coun Eileen Ansar, have demanded to know what efforts are being made to convince Farm Foods that Nelson is undergoing a revival and they should reverse their decision.
Council leader Coun Joe Cooney said: “Along with our officers I have been trying to secure a meeting with Farm Foods over the future of the Nelson branch but, to date, it has not been possible.”
He said the management had been ‘difficult to get hold of’, but said efforts would continue to be made for face-to-face talks.
Coun Mohammed Iqbal, Labour group leader, said: “We are almost in October and the store closes in two months.
“I think it is important that the leader redoubles his efforts on this.”
Speaking later, Coun Ansar said: “It is a scandal that the leader of the council still has not managed to secure a meeting with Farm Foods.”
Comments(17)
HairyBowls
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6:47pm Mon 1 Oct 12
jimpy0
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7:50pm Mon 1 Oct 12
Venomp
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7:55pm Mon 1 Oct 12
Sajdin
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8:05pm Mon 1 Oct 12
Venomp wrote:End of day, whether its owners choice or not, we have no say in it at all ! and nethier does this council !
It was running well in Accrington but closed due to owners choice
coates warder
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9:05pm Mon 1 Oct 12
Rimbus
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10:12pm Mon 1 Oct 12
coates warder wrote:In councillor Eileen Ansar's dreams, that's where!
nelson is under revival.ha ha ha.where
Enlightened Patriot
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11:21pm Mon 1 Oct 12
Rimbus
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12:07am Tue 2 Oct 12
Enlightened Patriot wrote:Or she might be able to persuade Pendle Council's luncheon clubs to buy all their food from Farm Foods. I'm sure your average pensioner would really appreciate donner meat and chips or a three bird roast for their £4.40. At Farm Food prices they could soon get the luncheon clubs profitable again!
Perhaps Coun Eileen Ansar could persuade them to start selling saris, etc. to increase business? Oh no, I don't think that would work somehow.
ToffeeGuy
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2:53am Tue 2 Oct 12
In short, you can't. You've got more chance of convincing them the Elvis will be found on the moon riding Shergar.
Kevin, Colne
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9:01am Tue 2 Oct 12
If this assessment is correct then I doubt that the Council will be able to persuade the company otherwise. Hope must surely rest with the landlord of Pendle Rise who I imagine will be absolutely desperate to retain existing leaseholders. I do not know the level of the current vacancy rate in the centre but my guess would be that the figure is not a pretty sight and is one that will have the owner lay awake at night with worry.
By the way: is Pendle Rise still being run by receivers? The last that I knew was that Edinburgh House had been given the asset management mandate after the centre was placed into receivership by the Bank of Ireland.
Lucy Porter 101
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9:21am Tue 2 Oct 12
The real scandal is that money continues to be pumped into Nelson in a desperate effort to keep it afloat. It wont work!
MrClaret
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10:53am Tue 2 Oct 12
Superdrug will be to close, closely followed by SpecSavers and Boots.... Then your left with the only two shops which make any money in the Pendle Rise, Wilkinsons and Home Bargains.
Even when Wilkinsons built their store they ensured there was alternative access as a provision for once the Pendle Rise completely closed not just for Sunday trading and most suspected
ron1946
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4:20pm Tue 2 Oct 12
ROBERTSLUMDWELLER123
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4:53pm Wed 3 Oct 12
Kevin, Colne wrote:Grow up Kevin the owners of Pedle rise are on a loser Pedle Council make it impossible for survival in Nelson over the years the owners have had to keep passing your rate rises on to the people,who rent the shops,then they pass the rise on to the people hence the reason the owners want to close the Centre down as soon as possible,its not just Farm Foods,,
Well now, I suspect that the decision by Farm Foods to exit Nelson is one that was not taken lightly. Moreover I imagine that the decision was based on past and current trading performance of the store, along with a considered assessment of likely performance in the years ahead, including full knowledge that Nelson is in the first-wave of Portas Pilot towns.
If this assessment is correct then I doubt that the Council will be able to persuade the company otherwise. Hope must surely rest with the landlord of Pendle Rise who I imagine will be absolutely desperate to retain existing leaseholders. I do not know the level of the current vacancy rate in the centre but my guess would be that the figure is not a pretty sight and is one that will have the owner lay awake at night with worry.
By the way: is Pendle Rise still being run by receivers? The last that I knew was that Edinburgh House had been given the asset management mandate after the centre was placed into receivership by the Bank of Ireland.
Kevin, Colne
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7:54pm Wed 3 Oct 12
As I understand the position commercial property rates are determined from the rateable value using a multipler set by national government. I think that this system was introduced many years ago in order to limit the ability of local councils to impose a greater burden of local taxation on commercial property. I believe that subsequently changes have been made so that commercial property owners are now liable to pay tax on vacant property earlier than had been the case.
I think it must be exceedingly hard to sustain a business in Pendle Rise with rates, rent and service charges. As with any business all costs ultimately must be paid for by the customers. Landlords of sub-prime commercial property are now facing a truly terrible situation: vacancy rates are rising inexorably and there is no end in sight to this trend. This situation is partly of their own makiing through upward-only rent reviews that results in shops paying rents that are 'strapped to a rocket'.
I have to say that I am not convinced by the argument that the owners of Pendle Rise wish to close it. I suspect that this is the very last thing they want, although I fear that some of the existing tenants are seeking to exit, and who would blame them?
There may come a point where the best option for the owners would be to terminate tenancies and demolish the place. The bottom line is this: there's too much retailing space in the centre of Nelson. The Victory Centre demonstrates this all too well and the idea that the 'Portas Pilot' can save the day is wishful thinking bordering on the delusional.
ROBERTSLUMDWELLER123
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2:15pm Fri 5 Oct 12
Kevin, Colne wrote:Rates have,nt always been decided with a national multiplyer,when it was 2 tiers it was the council who set the rates,,
The owners of Pendle Rise are certainly 'on a loser', which is why I'm glad that I don't own it. In commercial property terms Pendle Rise is sub-prime. In fact I would venture to suggest that it is 'junk'.
As I understand the position commercial property rates are determined from the rateable value using a multipler set by national government. I think that this system was introduced many years ago in order to limit the ability of local councils to impose a greater burden of local taxation on commercial property. I believe that subsequently changes have been made so that commercial property owners are now liable to pay tax on vacant property earlier than had been the case.
I think it must be exceedingly hard to sustain a business in Pendle Rise with rates, rent and service charges. As with any business all costs ultimately must be paid for by the customers. Landlords of sub-prime commercial property are now facing a truly terrible situation: vacancy rates are rising inexorably and there is no end in sight to this trend. This situation is partly of their own makiing through upward-only rent reviews that results in shops paying rents that are 'strapped to a rocket'.
I have to say that I am not convinced by the argument that the owners of Pendle Rise wish to close it. I suspect that this is the very last thing they want, although I fear that some of the existing tenants are seeking to exit, and who would blame them?
There may come a point where the best option for the owners would be to terminate tenancies and demolish the place. The bottom line is this: there's too much retailing space in the centre of Nelson. The Victory Centre demonstrates this all too well and the idea that the 'Portas Pilot' can save the day is wishful thinking bordering on the delusional.
Sajdin says...
6:33pm Mon 1 Oct 12