So Jackson's has gone - what do you want to see in it's place?

We evidently didn’t need two butchers in the village but what would you like to see instead? Personally I’d like to see a fishmonger or Grantham’s move in to the village.

A fishmongers would be great Jeremy, however I have my doubts that there would be enough willing custom locally.  Both fishmongers in Wilmsow and Macclesfield don’t do enough business and therefore the quality is very hit and miss; I have often left both plaices empty handed!  I currently use Evans of Didsbury and Out of the Blue in Chorlton…..both high turnover with great choice but a bit of a trek.

How about a decent men’s clothes shop ?

Giles, that probably rules out Alan Jackson as a customer then! (insert wry smiley face)

how about a hardware,diy store with fish bar and veg counter that should cover most losses over the last few years . oh and to be really un p.c a tobacconists combine all the above and hopefully they should be able to cover the london rd rents

The rents are high, it would be a gamble for anyone selling fish and veg to try and make a living.  The government could help with a little tax releif to get shops filled and make the UK high street a shopping experience, and leave the supermarkets to supply us with daily essentials.

It is always sad to see the closure of an independant shop regardless of reason , however i do feel supermarkets and so called market forces have decided this. I have lived in this village for over 62 yrs i can remember up to 10- 12-14 grocers shops   3 butchers ,all in Alderley Edge at same time ,and they survived,however along came the super markets and tthe local shops loose out,Market Forces? it means that the super markets can sell cheaper than the small retailer.

Sorry 4 butchers there was one in Trafford road .

I’d be with Giles on this, a decent men’s clothes shop. But there again, how many decent men are there in Alderley Edge Giles to purchase? Tough one that.

In all seriousness, Heather’s comment speaks volumes. I remember when Grill on the Edge was Blue Lagoon. A fabulous fashion shop for both men and women along with a cafe in the basement and Rock Music memorabilia. Why did it close?  The owner told me (1995-ish) that the fixed costs (rent, rates etc.) of opening the door each and every day (7 day trading, unheard of then) were not covered by the sales even though the sales were really good.  There isn’t any incentive for a business to open, try, have a go in the village unless it is a charity.

Heather - you should expand Wienholt’s and open 6 days a week!!  We love it!

What causes the shops to close is the greed of the landlords. Rents in the village are the same as major towns and city’s in the region. if you went to Knutsford, the rents are half what they are here in Alderley Edge. The only companies that can afford them are the supermarkets and charity shops. The village needs support from the community to shop and maybe even investment in the way it looks now the bypass has arrived. Poynton is a prime example of what can be done with some investment.

This is a piece from a recent interview with James Martin…I must say it’s hard to argue with his views.
“In terms of restuarants and thinking about food, we’re stil way behind Spain and Italy though. They have markets over there that you’d kill for over here.

We’re probably a victim of our own obsession with cheap food and convenience. When there are no butchers or fishmingers left and we’re all eating stuff out of packets, then we’ve only got ourselves to blame.

We look at certain markets as a gimmick or tourist attraction when what they should be is a source of food for people in that area.

We should have banned supermarkets a long time ago. You should have one or two in a town and that’s it. Villages shouldn’t have any. It’s mental. Try finding a supermarket in a French village, or Naples. There are none.”

We need a gents outfitters, you go to villages like Alderley Edge in other places in the country and you always find a good gents shop.  If there was one I would certainly use it, providing it actually had clothes my size!

OR…... we could have a restaurant / bar.

I am sure Mike wasn’t meaning the men on Chapel Road!!! Salt Of the earth those guys!!

Why don’t we ask Asda if they wouldn’t mind opening a small store!!! We desperately need another supermarket!!

What about a traditional childrens’ toy shop?

What about a shop where you can all go and ...spend money?
Perhaps we should be enlisting the help of Mary Portas and/or Sarah Beeney (Village SOS?); lots of ‘celebrities’ in Alderley nowadays, why not have some more?
Naturally, market forces are a big part of the problem but we live in a capitalist culture where currently, short term profits trump all other concerns, including community solidarity and other social priorities. Perhaps we should have thought more about the ramifications of giving planning permission to big corporations whose prime concern is shareholder profits. If we were more orientated towards long term issues/goals we might never have allowed planning in the first place.

A village cafe like Fruitcake, which was pushed out by yet another supermarket!
A fishmonger would also be a good idea although there is decent one on Chapel Lane which isn’t to far to go from Alderley,

But a mens clothes shop….I don’t think so - you wouldn’t get the footballers in there!! HaHa

Another cafe?  There must be a dozen places in Adlerley village where I can already go for a coffee!!

If we could persuade the Planning Authority that out-of-town shopping is the key to the prosperity of small towns, not their death knell, we might get somewhere. The wretched condition of Altrincham demonstrates what happens when major supermarkets are encouraged into the town. Altrincham is now virtually beyond rescue. Knutsford on the other hand is still a buzzing town. Alderley buzzes too and don’t knock the restaurants and bars in either village, they keep them alive.