Shops and businesses in Formby are being forced out

IT is sad that again in Formby we see one if its most interesting shops closing its doors for the last time and more charity shops moving in. The demographics of Formby Village over the last few years have changed dramatically. Most of the small, privately owned and little businesses are being forced out by the supermarkets which have blitzed what was a vibrant shopping centre, This has combined with ever increasing rent charges, set well above what the businesses can make. Added to that, the increase in other costs, like tax have all added to the strains faced under an ever gloomy background of the present economic climate. Many remaining businesses in Formby are also complaining of lack of support by the Council, and draconian enforcement of red tape. Formby in recent years has lost so many shops, many specialist shops, like Delahunty’s, an independent toy and cycle shop which was just a few doors down from Pritchards. Formby, in the past was a major draw for people who wanted a location to go to find that unusual item, but now charity shops are taking over along with major chain stores and chain coffee shops. This situation, in the view of many business owners, has destroyed the village forever. "It is not the internet, as many are saying, that is destroying the village, it is the lack of support businesses get from Sefton and landlords in the village that is at the core of many of the closures. The rates and rents are so high, many small businesses can't survive and after such a bad winter and a bad trading year, it is no wonder we are seeing closure after closure. In the same block as Pritchards, a delicatessen was forced out at the beginning of 2011 and that should have been a wakeup call. Some businesses have opened, but they are now threatened by the increase in activity by major international and national retail groups, like Tesco. We have seen so many protests about developments. The public are told they will bring in jobs, but the figures do not add up! For every job a major shop brings in, often more jobs are lost as small shops are forced to close, as they see their sales plummet and rents increased time after time by many London based property businesses who are milking the village dry. Even the Council is doing it, with lack of funds and resources being given to the area for years now, lack of support for businesses regarding advertisement solutions and parking charges being introduced", a local historian from Formby, said to us as we visited the latest shop to close.  Pritchards Bookshop has been at the very heart of the village and up to Friday, 9 September 2011, was one of the oldest remaining shops in the centre of Formby, yet sadly it is closing. With some consolation; Pritchards will still be trading from Crosby, and Manager Tony Higginson will be opening up a small shop within Derbyshires (Formby).  In a statement to the shop’s customers, Pritchards  said that:- "It is finally upon us. We close the doors for the last time at 5.30pm on Friday. We have all had a massively enjoyable time running the shop in Formby and would like to thank you all for your support over the years, We have had many great times and some sad ones, but it is time to close our doors. All the staff are feeling a bit lost at the moment and we just hope you will try and pop in or ring and say Hi and Bye. Our head office in Crosby will soldier on and our Manager Tony will be starting formbybooks.co.uk, on Monday, 12 September 2011, within Derbyshires. You can ring 01704 830130 and leave a message and then, after Saturday, Tony can return calls and deal with your enquiries. Also please note that orders can also be taken by Pritchards in Crosby, via 0151 931 1642. The location of Prichards in Crosby is 13 Moor Lane, Merseyside, L23 2SE, UK.”

Here at Southport & Mersey Reporter, we wish all the staff, who we have worked with over quite some time now, all the best for the future and hope they find employment soon.  If you have any comments or views on this topic, please email our news room via:- news24@southportreporter.com.