Catering, station food facilities, and for connected purposes

[Clip]

They are terrible landlords. Units lie empty for years on end. A cut in the high rents would encourage new businesses and I am sure I speak for many when I say it would be nice to see local business try the location rather than the same old boring corporate names.

Old boring corporate names will prop up other outlets all over the network that are not doing so well.

I know from experience over many stations I have managed in my time that local businesses can come in try their best and paying a minimal amount of rent and still fail.

Im all for enterprise but sometimes it just doesnt work so you either have something there that people use not that often being propper up by a big company or nothing at all in some stations.

 

[MidnightFlyer]

They are terrible landlords. Units lie empty for years on end.

Do they? Seems to me that a lot of empty retail spaces on railway stations tend to be snapped up rather quickly by a variety of businesses.

The waitress service restaurant at Birmingham New St had decent quality food at sensible prices into the 1980s. Used to attract trade from non rail passengers.

Interesting, never knew that. Whereabouts was it?

 

[BestWestern]

Old boring corporate names will prop up other outlets all over the network that are not doing so well.

I know from experience over many stations I have managed in my time that local businesses can come in try their best and paying a minimal amount of rent and still fail.

Im all for enterprise but sometimes it just doesnt work so you either have something there that people use not that often being propper up by a big company or nothing at all in some stations.

Equally though, there are plenty of smaller independents who do very well given half a chance.

 

[Clip]

Equally though, there are plenty of smaller independents who do very well given half a chance.

Indeed there are but its still not an incentive for a TOC to reduce the rent they charge and for smaller stations that isnt that much either and for the bigger ones they wouldnt be so silly as to lose money just because it was a local business if they were doing well from it.

 

[AlexS]

Do they? Seems to me that a lot of empty retail spaces on railway stations tend to be snapped up rather quickly by a variety of businesses.



Interesting, never knew that. Whereabouts was it?

I believe it is (was? don't know if it's changed with the rebuild work) either a Network Rail or London Midland messroom, off the main concourse., if I recall correctly.

 

[sheff1]

Interesting, never knew that. Whereabouts was it?

It was on the concourse where WH Smiths is now, although set back further. Turned into a (poor) bar before being expanded forwards as Menzies/Smiths.