Happy New Year to Uckfield shoppers and traders
Happy New Year to you as we look back at shopping changes in Uckfield High Street during 2011 and talk to retailers about how their businesses have performed.
Perhaps the biggest and most talked about change was the arrival of Waitrose which looks as if it is flourishing in the refurbished store previously owned by the Co-op.
A master stroke was opening a rear entrance to the car park making the store so much more inviting, accessible and welcoming to drivers.
Inevitably there have been winners and losers among other traders following the arrival of the upmarket supermarket.
Some say business has picked up and they are seeing shoppers return to the High Street after an absence of several years when they were travelling to supermarkets in Crowborough or Lewes.
Others such as Noble Wines are suffering. Owner Charles Mears-Lamb said they were doing reasonably well until Waitrose arrived.
“Price-wise we are better but I think people are going for the convenience,” said Mr Mears-Lamb.
Another major change
Another major change was the takeover of the Sussex Stationers store by W H Smith which now runs two stationery businesses in the High Street.
It was great to see another long-empty shop at the top of town refurbished with the arrival of Professional Hair Design for Him. TJ Barbers Shop was given a facelift too.
Highlights during the year have included the opening of Hartfields Produce Store where owner James Hartfield continues to add to lines stocked as requests come in from now loyal customers.
Fresh fruit and vegetables are the staples with deliveries made around Uckfield but there are all sorts of other treats too such as artisan bread available on Fridays and Saturdays and olive oil which can be decanted into your own bottles.
Most recently home-made soup and takeaway coffee have been made available and it will be interesting to see how Mr Hartfield begins to make use of the upstairs of his premises as the New Year progresses.
Fun to visit
Boutiques Joli Couture and Pilgrim have been welcome arrivals in town with ever-changing stock meaning they are fun to visit over and over again.
It’s been a big year for George Moss jewellers with new branding, new signage and redecoration of the shop.
Managing director Robert Suckling said they had experienced their best year ever: “It is been a superb year and we are looking forward to carrying on the momentum in 2012.”
He, along with other traders, had noticed shoppers were keen to support their local shops.
Mr Suckling said: “That old phrase use it or lose it is so true and Uckfield has a very nice High Street. There aren’t many places you could go to find such a vast array of different brands and products.
“You can go into most of the shops and talk to the owners who know every product, something independent traders have been doing for years.
“There is free parking and a fantastic Chamber of Commerce, the demographic of Uckfield is very good and the future is looking bright.”
Local support
Julie Hobbs at PipeDreams, the snow, surf and ski shop said she was very relieved to see there was still a lot of local support in difficult economic times.
“People are thinking more about shopping locally, probably because of significant fuel costs and parking charges involved in travelling elsewhere, and it has been a good year for us.
She added: “This has been the year of the scooter. It has got us through some quite tricky times. There were some weeks where if we hadn’t been selling scooters I don’t know what we would have done.
“They have generated new customers for us and that is always good for business,” said Mrs Hobbs.
PipeDreams has entered its sixth year of trading and has just launched a new website. See it here.
Eating and drinking
Ryan’s of Uckfield refurbished their sandwich bar creating extra space for customers by moving the serving area. Chilli Peppers moved to a new home at the Hop Barn and a new owner took over the Courtyard Coffee Shop.
There have been changes at the Market Hall in the Bell Walk Precinct too including. The new owners of Sew n Sew, Trevor Brown and Lydia Prentice, moved their business to a bigger unit in there and Goodfellas cafe bar returned after closing briefly.
The Birdineye Farm shop opened a branch at the Market Hall but then withdrew after opening a new shop on the farm which was triple the size of the previous premises.
There were a few surprises in 2011 for PC Home and Office. For example owner Mark Dopson said they expected summer to be quiet and allowed stock to dwindle only to find they were very busy and struggling to keep up with stock needed.
He added: “We do know people want the best price and we are happy to price match where and when we can. If someone wants a lap top and a printer we can help on price.”
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Here at Uckfield News we look forward to seeing Uckfield High Street continuing to flourish during 2012.
We will continue to keep up to date with what is happening through this Personal Shopper feature which goes live on the first of every month and would welcome you as a regular visitor.
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(Added to site Sunday, January 1st, 2012)
