Another empty shop in Penicuik

Joe of "Joe's Shoe Bar" is calling it a day. "Retirement Sale" now in progress.

Ah well, best wishes to you, Joe - and please enjoy your well deserved retirement!

But that's now a hat-trick of defunct shops, all in a row!: the previous "Le Tout P'ti", Ben's Store, and now Joe's Shoe Bar.

Are there no grants for people trying to set up small retail businesses? There used to be several sources of help for small businesses in the manufacturing and service industries, but nothing for retailers.

Also see that the Insurance place in John Street which used to be the fruit shop has closed down, making three empty units in that street (flower shop and travel agents).
They cannot give grants out to people setting up small businesses! Much better to spend the cash on expenses for MPs / MPSPs / MEPs or pay big companies to come here for a few years then disappear.
Let us hope something is done soon as we are now at the awkward position where people don't want to visit the town centre because of all the empty shops, resulting in even more empty shops.

Shock!!! Saw today that the fomer cafe in The Square is to become a sit-in / takeaway chip shop. A new food outlet in Penicuik - wow! Hopefully their chips will be an improvement on the ones at the other outlets in the town.

Another one bites the dust! Now I see that "The Neuk" cafe has closed down after over 30 years.
I hope there are going to be some new places soon otherwise Penicuik is really going to become a ghost town!

Just found out today that RS McColls will be closing in the middle of next month - apparently their recent spate of break-ins has caused Head Office to pull the plug!

Does anyone know of another shop in Penicuik doing newspaper deliveries - my one and only vice is the luxury of a daily delivery!! If there is none maybe someone will take the opportunity to start up.

That is bad news and now makes the town centre in to even more of a retail wasteland. We are nearly at the "tipping point" where any further closures will cause the whole place to shut down. Of course it also means more job losses for the staff too which is never good.
I hope now that the Co-op are taking over Somerfield we might see some positive action being take there to improve what must be one of the most depressing supermarkets around!

I believe that the newsagents on Eastfield Drive deliver papers and might decide to take on the extra business so give them a try.

I have heard that RS McColls is to be taken over by another shop that currently has an outlet in the precinct, of course in turn the current shop they use will be vacated.

Another one down.....Acorn Pets store closes down this weekend!!!!

BUT....


a new opticians is opening soon where the travel agency used to be!!!!

Best of luck to them

The pet shop is closing down as Acorn have chosen not to renew their lease, but the present management are going to take up the lease and reopen as an independent pet shop in a month.

I hope the pet shop folk are successful with their new shop. I heard that the main reason that R S McColls are quitting is that they were robbed THREE times in one week which does not inspire much confidence in our local police force.

I do wonder how a indipendant petshop will fare any better than a chain did. I wish them the best but cant see it working. Acorn are a big chain and if they dont feel its not worth keeping open how is someone else going to manage.

I agree but the pet shop seems to be the only glimmer of hope for the precinct at the moment, so here's hoping it works out well..

Penicuik's shopping centre is in a dire situation now. It is strange how despite the addition of several hundred new houses (eg. Eskbridge, Rullion Green, army homes) there are now far fewer shops in the town than there were 30 years ago
I hope that anyone opening up in the precinct has managed to get a good deal on their rent and that something is done to prevent any more break ins.

Update: I have noticed that the car wash has been shut all week so anyone know if it has become another closure? I hope not as it seemed like a fairly busy place (by Penicuik standards anyway)

http://www.midlothianadvertiser.co.uk/news/Penicuik-newsagent-announces-closure.4359168.jp

See the closure has finally reached the pages of the Advertiser. Unfortunately, this seems to be just be a standar press release article with no mention of how many other shops are already empty in the town

Have now heard from 2 or 3 people that the next store to depart is going to be Farmfoods! No definite word about it but the recent spate of closures must mean that leases are ending and the company that owns the "shopping centre" (soon to be renamed shop centre?) want loads more rental dosh so businesses are quitting.
There seems to be no work going on behind the boards now so who knows what is happening.

Farmfoods as well now! no company is going to want to open up a business in the area if all the other shops around them are sitting empty, surely it makes more sense to keep the shops they have instead of forcing them all out.

I hear the R S McColls is to be Lloyds the chemist.

Does anyone know what is happening with Aldi and Lidle?

Gossip seems to be that Lidle are no longer coming because of parking issues and Tesco has but a stop to Aldi as it will be right behind them.

If this is true the only food shop in Penicuik center will be Somerfield and this is not good news.

I am really starting to think if it wasnt for Greggs I wouldnt go into the center at all now.

No one seems to have any definite news about either Lidl or Aldi - why they cannot just put out something in the local press saying yes or no, I don't know as it would stop all the uncertainty which is not doing any good at all.
I did notice today that Noble's old garage place (behind Tesco) which is earmarked for Aldi has been well and truly vandalised with all the windows smashed and graffiti on the walls inside. Maybe this will force whoever owns it now to take some action and clear the site to prevent any unfortunate incidents - I won't be holding my breath though!

I have now heard that the Cuiken Inn is to be closed. Does anyone have any more information?

When I was out for a run on my bike earlier this evening I noticed that the former coffee shop in Lambs pend now seems to be another hairdressers. It doesn't look as if there is much happening with the takeaway in bridge street though.

The dry cleaners are also leaving us - again due to not being able to afford the rent.

gonzo wrote:

The dry cleaners are also leaving us - again due to not being able to afford the rent.

The proprietor is an old friend of mine. (We had a hobby in common.) His main business is dry cleaning for biggish fish like hotels, restaurants etc. and is based at that wee industrial estate at Eastfield Farm Road.

As well as dry cleaning for Joe Public, he used to make a bit from film processing at the shop - but now everyone's gone digital.

I also suspect that we all make less use of dry cleaners these days. The clothes on our backs are now so cheap that we wear them for a while and then just replace them.

I don't think that it's case of the shop's rent rising to some daft level. It's more a case of the shop's income falling to a point where the rent plus rates, light and heat, wages, public liability etc., etc, had ceased to make economic sense.

A bit like shoes. You wear them out and replace them nowadays. Few people bother to get them repaired. Hence bye-bye to Joe's Shoe Bar as well.

With the credit crunch and the state of the economy, I suspect that some of the things you mention will be making a comeback soon. At the same time though, it's going to be tough for small businesses. It's good to see that the price of petrol and diesel is coming down though.

I've just heard that Peterson's in Musselburgh is closing down. I think that it was on the verge of closure some years back but it was taken over. I also heard that MFI at Straiton is also on it's last legs.

Noticed yesterday that both MFI & Roseby's are to close at Straiton.