Recent news has came to light that the parent company which takes care of the In Shops facilities around the country Geraud In Shops ClosureMarkets has given tenants of In Shops units across the country 7 days to vacate their stores before liquidation begins. This is bad news for all of the businesses which call In Shops their home across the country and also here in Consett. Many of the businesses which take resident in Consett’s In Shops have been trading for a long time and this is the worst possible news which could have been received so early into 2014.

There are 50 In Shops around the UK with space to accommodate around 1800 small traders. This is a big blow for small business as finding suitable high street business properties can be highly expensive and out of reach for many small businesses. This was the beauty of the In Shops as it gave small companies the chance to get their own place at a reasonable price. This will not be good for small businesses looking for affordable space reducing their options significantly.

As the businesses in Consett’s In Shops start to move out, it’s sad to see an establishment which has been a part of Consett for so long leaving the high street. It further shows the ever continuing trend of business moving out of the town centres into retail parks further afield. Hopefully the community of Consett will rally around this disappointing news to support these businesses in their challenge of finding new space in the local area.

One worker who would not like to be named spoke to us to let us know how dire the situation was inside of the In Shops. “This is ripping the heart out of Consett. Some of the businesses have been here for 20 or more years. This is the final straw and I can see less people coming into Consett soon.”

This is only the beginning of the troubles which may face the residents of the In Shops in the coming weeks as they look to establish themselves in other areas of the town. We here at Consett Magazine wish the people of the In Shops a quick and easy relocation when the time comes.

 


Get CONSETT MAGAZINE straight to your inbox.

* indicates required

Previous articleLloydsPharmacy Wants To Keep Consett Healthy
Next articleThe 64 Durham Road Housing Scheme
Chris Brown
Christopher Brown is Consett Magazine's lead journalist. Chris enjoys meeting with a whole host of different people to report on what's happening in Consett, Co.Durham.

7 COMMENTS

  1. I shop here regularly, I don’t know where I’m going to go for many of my weekly shopping items. I guess Morrisons, Poundland, and Tesco will be the winners here.

  2. There has got to be 20 odd businesses in the in shops which will now be looking for property. I don’t think Consett has enough small business fronts for this many businesses. Consett locals will suffer. Morisons will prevail! 🙁

  3. I wonder who will buy in shops in Consett. Maybe another market type business will see potential? It does need a big face lift too!

  4. You can now buy cigarettes in Semi-Chem. When I was little, I used to love going into Inshops on a Saturday. My Grandma and Granda would be sat in the smokey Angelo’s café for a good few hours. such a shame. The closure also includes the Central Café upstairs, on leaving there today, it looked as though some business types we’re inside the empty Bradley’s/Meridian unit. Maybe that’ll be back open with something new in the future….but for how long. Consett front street is beginning to resemble that of our neighbour, Stanley!

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here