Taxpayers to dig for £20M for Liverpool Dock

[Non-Believer]

I think it boils down to the costs that local retailers are obliged to shoulder. Shipping costs for goods, high rents for retail premises, high business rates, costly Utilities and low volumes from dwindling footfall caused by the turn to Internet shopping that offers lower prices and greater choices simply because it doesn't have those same costs and challenges.

[GD4ELI]

31 minutes ago, The Duck of Atholl said:

In better times Saturday boats and planes are full of people off to their beloved Liverpool 1 to shop. The result here is we probably have the worst town centre in Great Britain. It is absolutely desperate. 

Two years ago or so there was an analysis of Amazon/online shopping in the UK & IOM. IOM came out top.

[GD4ELI]

12 minutes ago, Non-Believer said:

I think it boils down to the costs that local retailers are obliged to shoulder. Shipping costs for goods, high rents for retail premises, high business rates, costly Utilities and low volumes from dwindling footfall caused by the turn to Internet shopping that offers lower prices and greater choices simply because it doesn't have those same costs and challenges.

At one time I believe the Church of England owned a lot of retail property on the rock through oddly-named investment trusts.

[TheTeapot]

3 minutes ago, GD4ELI said:

Two years ago or so there was an analysis of Amazon/online shopping in the UK & IOM. IOM came out top.

Any idea where someone could read such a thing?

[AlanShimmin]

10 hours ago, The Voice of Reason said:

low unemployment

Unemployment has not long peaked at a 30+ year high. 

[AlanShimmin]

29 minutes ago, Derek Flint said:

ask an MHK a straight question as to whether the Island is becoming skint. You’ll be lucky to get a straight answer 

There's a large minority of MHKs that don't understand the situation. 

 

Jason Moorhouse is one for example. Pursuing a £5m+ boat project while health goes to the dogs and costs rack up everywhere else.

[The Duck of Atholl]

28 minutes ago, GD4ELI said:

Two years ago or so there was an analysis of Amazon/online shopping in the UK & IOM. IOM came out top.

I'd be interested to look at that. In what way did the IOM come out on top? 

[GD4ELI]

11 minutes ago, The Duck of Atholl said:

I'd be interested to look at that. In what way did the IOM come out on top? 

Online purchases in £ / population. Can't find it now.

[asitis]

13 minutes ago, GD4ELI said:

Online purchases in £ / population. Can't find it now.

Probably understandable, very few quality brick and mortar retailers here now.

[AlanShimmin]

42 minutes ago, asitis said:

Probably understandable, very few quality brick and mortar retailers here now.

As an island we appear to have spent the last 15+ years chasing away big UK retailers. We could use a few quality ones now. 

 

[Andy Onchan]

2 hours ago, GD4ELI said:

At one time I believe the Church of England owned a lot of retail property on the rock through oddly-named investment trusts.

Certainly some CoE parishes were/are beneficiaries of interest/dividends from Trusts set up by wealthy parishioners, many in the early Victorian era. Not sure they actually set the Trusts up though.

[asitis]

2 hours ago, Non-Believer said:

I think it boils down to the costs that local retailers are obliged to shoulder. Shipping costs for goods, high rents for retail premises, high business rates, costly Utilities and low volumes from dwindling footfall caused by the turn to Internet shopping that offers lower prices and greater choices simply because it doesn't have those same costs and challenges.

One of many unintended and maybe unforeseen  consequences of the internet !

[doc.fixit]

Rents, rates, utilities! The other costs are more difficult to alter but those three are the main problem and such as rent could be lowered but it seems the landlords would rather spite their own faces and end up with empty properties. I don't know of course, but that's how it appears from a layman's point of view.

[The Voice of Reason]

2 hours ago, AlanShimmin said:

Unemployment has not long peaked at a 30+ year high. 

That doesn’t mean the unemployment rate is not low.

[Roger Mexico]

4 hours ago, AlanShimmin said:

Unemployment has not long peaked at a 30+ year high. 

Not really true.  It went over 1000 for four months last year, during the first lockdown.  Between September 2012 and March 2014 there were only two months when it wasn't over 1000.