| Topic: | Clone Town Chiswick - be careful what you wish for | |
| Posted by: | Andy Rooney | |
| Date/Time: | 09/11/10 13:59:00 |
| Colin, you highlight a significant point here: the shopping centres with the fewest chain stores tend to be the places where there's not enough money around to attract the chains - and the independents there tend not to be the stuff of upper middle-class fantasy. The nature of the UK market is such that the most attractive high streets tend to have a core of chains supplemented by niche independents. None of this is to say that we shouldn't support the independent stores we have in Chiswick, whether they be the long established businesses like Mackens or the hobby boutiques run by merchant bankers' spouses. But we shouldn't knock the chains too much as their presence helps give Chiswick the critical mass that makes it attractive for people to travel here and wander around. |