For years as a child I loved going to town with my parents (unlike most kids now) and Queens Square was the main reason for this, it was a vibrant place with many different kinds of shops and over the years we have seen these stores move in to the County Mall or out of town to superstores in the case of a few & some have gone out of business completely.
But it appears that in the last few years there has been a mass exodus of stores from Queens Square to the County Mall leaving Queens Square a baron empty place with only a few small shops worth visiting.
With the exception of Starbucks Coffee opening recently I can not remember the last time a major brand decided to open a store in the square in fact its quite the opposite I feel more of the stores and brands that have long been the corner stone of Queens Square are looking for alternative options and the viable option at this time is the County Mall as I would imagine that the foot fall they can offer these stores is a huge increase on what is on offer in Queens Square. Has the square now just become a place to get a foothold in the town and see if there is a demand for your product before moving into the mall to maximise the demand with the increased foot fall.
In the recent past we have seen Next & Primark move in to the mall which were 2 of the main reasons to go into the Square and now The Body Shop are on the move to leaving only New Look, Deichmann & Ann Summers as the main shops left the rest are coffee shops or pop up shops that seem to last for five minutes and Pound Shops that will not be likely to move into the mall.
Now it appears the answer is the redevelopment of the square which the Council are going to fund and have come up with 3 options.
But it appears that in the last few years there has been a mass exodus of stores from Queens Square to the County Mall leaving Queens Square a baron empty place with only a few small shops worth visiting.
With the exception of Starbucks Coffee opening recently I can not remember the last time a major brand decided to open a store in the square in fact its quite the opposite I feel more of the stores and brands that have long been the corner stone of Queens Square are looking for alternative options and the viable option at this time is the County Mall as I would imagine that the foot fall they can offer these stores is a huge increase on what is on offer in Queens Square. Has the square now just become a place to get a foothold in the town and see if there is a demand for your product before moving into the mall to maximise the demand with the increased foot fall.
In the recent past we have seen Next & Primark move in to the mall which were 2 of the main reasons to go into the Square and now The Body Shop are on the move to leaving only New Look, Deichmann & Ann Summers as the main shops left the rest are coffee shops or pop up shops that seem to last for five minutes and Pound Shops that will not be likely to move into the mall.
Now it appears the answer is the redevelopment of the square which the Council are going to fund and have come up with 3 options.
*Pictures from Crawley Borough Council Website.
I have to be honest I like the look of these options but my question is this. What is the point? The reality is the Square has been in decline for years and only now are they taking action it seems to me a bit like shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted. This will not bring businesses back to the Square so what is the future for the Square?
I do not have the answer but surely with this fantastic layout on the square and the works completed the town could target restaurants & Coffee shops to have a fantastic open plan eating complex rather than trying to compete with the Mall and just accept they need a different approach.
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