Fat Face coming to Dorking
I really hope that this one goes without a hitch and that we see Fat Face open a shop in Dorking. After a somewhat depressing summer this is, at last some good news. Fat Face is a successful and attractive clothing chain which will have the potential to attract more shops of this type.It will compliment Monsoon which has been trading for many years just down the High Street.
Thanks to Dorking Dan who provided us with that information. See the full post here which also includes other interesting information (second one down).
posted by The Cockerel @ 7:23 PM
6 Comments:
Wow!! All the posts relating to the proposed opening of Fat Face in Dorking make me laugh. Dorking Dan and the Leatherhead Lip think that Fat Face will be the saviour of the High Street - get real! All that Fat Face will do for Dorking is increase the rents further on the small, struggling independent shops and make the landlords even more greedy in our town. There is little incentive for the landlords to let their shops at present and most of the them are waiting for a Starbucks or a Fat Face to come in and pay the exhorbant rents.
Whilst I agree that Fat Face might appeal to the younger generation, it won't appeal to people in their late twenties onwards. Yes, it is competitively priced but, there is a Fat Face in most towns and cities across the UK. Leatherhead Lip complains about the mundane shopping facilities in Leatherhead - again I agree, but at least you have decent clothing shops like Next and Dorothy Perkins and an Argos! The Council killed off Leatherhead in the seventies by creating a ridiculous one way system and Dorking is in danger of being killed off by the Council as they propose to introduce controlled parking zones in Dorking starting in early 2008! All the streets in Dorking would be either residential only or have restricted hours to park there. Residents' would have to pay for a permit and there would be a fee to pay for short term parking on the High Street (ie. 20p for 20 minutes and £1 for one hour!!). Parking charges would be also introduced on Sundays. In other words, the Council says that they are acting in the interests of the residents of Dorking, they are NOT!!! All they are interested in, is to generate as much revenue as possible. Long term parking in Dorking is already in the region of £5+ and the only place that most employees can afford is to park on the streets surrounding the High Street. Public transport is next to useless - buses in and out of Dorking (except the 465 to Kingston) finish at 7pm, taxis are a rip-off and the trains are often delayed and cancelled.
So, what are we left with??? A Council, who wants more money to add to the coffers whilst squeezing the shop employees (who often get paid minimum wage) to either pay the increased fees or quit their jobs in Dorking. It is hard enough for the shops in Dorking to get staff as it is. The independent shops will suffer a great deal more, if this hair brained scheme gets pushed through.
I urge everyone, to make sure that they make their points known to Surrey County Council & Mole Valley about the proposed CPZ (Controlled Parking Zones) in Dorking. They have not been mentioned that much but, there is a consultation taking place at present at Dorking Halls and somewhere down in St. Martin's Walk. It is imperative that the public make their views known as, I feel that they are trying to push it through underneath the carpet.
Delia Smith
What a weirdo Delia Smith is - who cares, if the employees of the shops, businesses are hit hard by the proposed controlled parking zones??? As a resident, I am sick and tired of the spaces in front of my house being taken by non-residents. Dorking, will survive, without some of these freeloaders, who would rather save themselves a few quid than park in the long term parking bays throughout the town.
As for Fat Face, I agree with Delia, it is not the type of shop Dorking needs. Dorking needs more charity shops, banks, estate agents and average run of the mill Italian, Chinese, Thai restaurants etc.;)
Mark my words, Dorking is trying to become another Reigate, Guildford or a Horsham. It will never will, as the town is stuck in the 18th or the 19th Century. Looking forward to the gala night (Not!) ~ A Fairy Christmas, what a joke.... Says a lot about our chamber of commerce, when they think this coming Thursday will be a hit with the youngsters' of Dorking. AsHcOmBe AdAm
I'm perfectly happy about Fat Face coming to Dorking, maybe a few of the other stores currently in Reigate will think about coming to Dorking too. I'm fortysomething and shop in Fat Face regularly, if Dorothy Perkins is the suggested alternative then my there's no hope for this town. We need more of these shops to revitalise this dreary town and help those retailers that are already trying really hard to achieve this.
Interesting debate - I am all in favour of Fat Face coming to Dorking. To the doubters - I suggest that you take a wait and see approach. We, should not be scaring away a clothing shop in the Fat Face caliber from Dorking. Very few (the exceptions being Monsoon, Edinburgh Woolen Mill and M&S) have decided to take the calculated risk of opening clothing shops in our town.
Sadly, the independent clothing shops have not much success in Dorking either. We have lost Shubbee and are losing Origin in the very near future and, how long will Juice (which is next to Patrick Gardner) last??? It is the same old story, of greedy landlords, high business rates and people choosing to their shopping in neighbouring towns. Etam, was a highly successful shop for years because, it had the combination of trendy clothing for young females at rock bottom prices. Sadly, it was pushed out of Dorking because they no longer could afford the rents.
Their is some good news on the retail front however. The former Age of Elegence unit has recently gone under offer and the former pottery shop for kids (next to the Surrey Yeoman) is also under offer. I am really hoping that it will be another unisex quality clothing retailer rather than yet another mundane bank, estate agent or a charity shop.
As for the contolled parking zone consultation in Dorking, I will take a look at it this weekend. Increased parking charges are not the way forward for Dorking, as there will be more an excuse for the shoppers to shop elsewhere. Money is very tight for all of us at the moment and therefore, I encourage all of you out there, to shop local. Petrol is sky high with unleaded well over £1 at litre! So, save money by walking around and see what Dorking has to offer.
--Dorking Danielle Loud & Proud--
As you might have guessed, I am too in favour of Fat Face coming to Dorking. I feel that we need 'anchor' stores such as this to hopefully bring in more desirable retailers to the town.
The independent shops that exist are great, but attracting new ones which survive would be difficult.
I appreciate all the posts on here and it is good to have a lively debate on one of the more controversial issues facing the town.
I personally think Fat Face in Dorking is great. There are not enough clothing shops for men in town, so being able to buy clothes during my lunch hour is a real benefit to me.
Up until now, I have to wait until the weekend to go and get anything I need, whereas I have time to kill each day which could be used more wisely.
I give it a real thumbs up.
Post a Comment
<< Home