MtoGo shops disappearing from Merseyrail stations

[urbophile]

MtoGo seems to have gone except in a very few places.

 

[Fokx]

MtoGo seems to have gone except in a very few places.

The issue was surrounding costs.
The concept works in locations with high traffic but effectively Merseytravel/rail had opened a Tesco Express in areas that had peak flows such as Hamilton Square (which I’m assuming is only open due to the lack of any competition) and Moorfields that see high traffic Monday to Friday morning and evenings, but outside of these times you can hear a pin drop and there’s more staff than customers.

The surviving branches are the ones that see round the clock traffic such as Southport, LSP and Liverpool Central, but you will notice that the range sold has been minimalised and prices increased (but still affordable).

I remember when the Liverpool Central branch first opened and was selling bottles of flavoured water for 60p and branded fizzy drinks were 2 for £2. It was actually one of the cheapest shops in the City which can’t have generated good profit margins.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Thing about Central is there's a Sainsburys Local directly outside, and most people have a return ticket or day ticket so don't need to go in the ticket office at all. It would more work, if good, at stations where there is no convenience store of any kind anywhere nearby - Aughton Park is one, I am sure there are others. That way it would get non-rail business too.

 

[py_megapixel]

In Germany, ships serving the local area, not just users of the station, can often be found inside railway stations because of Sunday trading laws. This leads to some smaller towns having surprisingly substantial station buildings (and of course once you have a building to house shops, you might as well have an indoor waiting area and ticket office as well).

 

[swt_passenger]

In Germany, ships serving the local area,

Ha, I thought you meant ferries when I started reading…

 

[ExRes]

In Germany, ships serving the local area, not just users of the station, can often be found inside railway stations because of Sunday trading laws. This leads to some smaller towns having surprisingly substantial station buildings (and of course once you have a building to house shops, you might as well have an indoor waiting area and ticket office as well).

I guess that in Liverpool there is a reasonable chance of ships in the local area, would need a substantial station building though

 

[Bletchleyite]

In Germany, ships serving the local area, not just users of the station, can often be found inside railway stations because of Sunday trading laws. This leads to some smaller towns having surprisingly substantial station buildings (and of course once you have a building to house shops, you might as well have an indoor waiting area and ticket office as well).

Technically to use those shops on a Sunday you have to prove you're travelling (there's usually signage), but I never saw that actually done.

 

[MattRat]

I guess that in Liverpool there is a reasonable chance of ships in the local area, would need a substantial station building though

If they rebuilt the overhead railway, they could have a combined ferry terminal and railway station. I feel that's getting off topic though.

 

[L401CJF]

The issue was surrounding costs.
The concept works in locations with high traffic but effectively Merseytravel/rail had opened a Tesco Express in areas that had peak flows such as Hamilton Square (which I’m assuming is only open due to the lack of any competition) and Moorfields that see high traffic Monday to Friday morning and evenings, but outside of these times you can hear a pin drop and there’s more staff than customers.

The surviving branches are the ones that see round the clock traffic such as Southport, LSP and Liverpool Central, but you will notice that the range sold has been minimalised and prices increased (but still affordable).

I remember when the Liverpool Central branch first opened and was selling bottles of flavoured water for 60p and branded fizzy drinks were 2 for £2. It was actually one of the cheapest shops in the City which can’t have generated good profit margins.

The one at Hooton was used by the locals, although theres so few houses around that one is also gone.

 

[jamesst]

The one at Hooton was used by the locals, although theres so few houses around that one is also gone.

Ironically theres a big housing estate currently being built the other side of the railway bridge!

 

[Djgr]

I can see why you might pick up a paper or Mars bar if you are queuing anyway for a ticket but nobody in Liverpool or Southport is going to go out of their way (or join a ticket queue) to use them.

 

[duncombec]

Technically to use those shops on a Sunday you have to prove you're travelling (there's usually signage), but I never saw that actually done.

Do you have a reference (in German works; I can read that) for that? Also, federal or state regulation? (In the latter case, you'd need 16 references).

 

[Bletchleyite]

Do you have a reference (in German works; I can read that) for that? Also, federal or state regulation? (In the latter case, you'd need 16 references).

Not to the legislation I'm afraid, but there was definitely signage to that effect in the 1990s. Unenforced, though.

 

[The exile]

Not to the legislation I'm afraid, but there was definitely signage to that effect in the 1990s. Unenforced, though.

I can remember having to prove it. Ironically I wasn’t actually travelling, but as a holder of a BC100 they couldn’t prove it.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 13 Apr 2022 ==

Do you have a reference (in German works; I can read that) for that? Also, federal or state regulation? (In the latter case, you'd need 16 references).

Search “Ladenschlussgesetz Reisebedarf” and you’ll have bedtime reading for days!

 

[duncombec]

Not to the legislation I'm afraid, but there was definitely signage to that effect in the 1990s. Unenforced, though.

Section 8 of the Ladenschlussgesetz (Federal Shop closing law; itsself permitted to be adjusted by the federal states since June 2006) gives no such restriction (freely translated from https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/ladschlg/BJNR008750956.html, no official translation is available):
"(1)... shops at stations... to the extent they serve the needs of travel... During the general shop closure times the sale of travel necessities is allowed.
(2)... Ministry... may require.. that the opening times do not extend beyond those needed for travel; in addition, the sale of goods in the stated locations can be limited to certain goods during the general shop closure times."

This is quite different to section 9, for airports and ferry terminals, where it says:
"(1) On... Sundays and holidays only the sale of travel necessities is permitted. ...
(3) State governments may... determine that... on Sundays and holidays items may be sold to persons other than travellers."

I'm afraid it looks as though your 90's experiences may no longer be relevant, and it wasn't my experience in the mid 00's, when it seemed as though half the town found reason to stop at the railway station shop on a Sunday.

Back on topic, I found these an odd concept on my one visit to Liverpool in recent years. They didn't look like a ticket office, but at the same time, I can see the benefit of being able to buy your tickets and snacks in one transaction!

 

[Bletchleyite]

Back on topic, I found these an odd concept on my one visit to Liverpool in recent years. They didn't look like a ticket office, but at the same time, I can see the benefit of being able to buy your tickets and snacks in one transaction!

The thing about central Liverpool is that as it's more of a destination than an origin, most people don't need to buy tickets there. And there's a Sainsbury's Local and a Costa outside, so if going in one shop which are you going to pick?

The concept comes from the Netherlands, but there they aren't in main stations, they're in little local ones where there's few other shopping facilities nearby.

 

[Old Yard Dog]

The MToGo shop at Hooton seems to be closed which is disappointing for locals as the nearest food shops to Hooton are in Willaston, Eastham or Little Sutton.

One of its disadvantages for non rail users is the shortage of free short-term parking at the station. I usually drive down to Ellesmere Port station on Fridays to pick up my (usually split) tickets for my Saturday football excursion to avoid the risk of having to pay £1 to park at Hooton for 10 mins. This helps support the ticket office at Ellesmere Port but it sometimes backfires as it is one of the first to close if there is a staff shortage on any particular day.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

I guess that in Liverpool there is a reasonable chance of ships in the local area, would need a substantial station building though

That must be what the giant building at Cammell Laird's is for...

 

[childwallblues]

That must be what the giant building at Cammell Laird's is for...

There was a station called Riverside at the Pier Head.