British High Street Death List 2020

[thr0b]

I was astonished to learn that Wrexham had a Pizza Express. My beautiful hometown has certainly changed since I escaped. Did it have a branch of Coutts as well?

It's in Eagles Meadow and opened, cor, a decade or more ago.

Eagles Meadow is the most empty shopping centre ever. Entirely necessary at the time it was conceived, entirely redundant by the time it was open as retail had died.

(Locals whinge that it killed the "original" town centre, without acknowledging that Wrexham's original high street is a mish-mash of old buildings, 1960s awfulness and half-hearted slightly off the street modern units. And no big retailer wants the quirkily-shaped old buildings, the 60s ones are occupied by banks etc, so a new shopping centre made perfect sense for chains who just want a box that is the same dimensions as their other shops. Until retail died, natch)

[Huxleys Babkins]

Has this exact sentence been posted before? I thought I was re-reading old replies and that's given me serious deja-vu.

Fuck Pizza Express. They drizzle their pizzas with olive oil so they are always mega greasy. Horrible.

Apparently so!

[BlodwynPig]

Apparently so!

get Covid tested mate

[Huxleys Babkins]

Hate Covid tests. They drizzle them in olive oil before they put them up your nose.

[buttgammon]

It's in Eagles Meadow and opened, cor, a decade or more ago.

Eagles Meadow is the most empty shopping centre ever. Entirely necessary at the time it was conceived, entirely redundant by the time it was open as retail had died.

(Locals whinge that it killed the "original" town centre, without acknowledging that Wrexham's original high street is a mish-mash of old buildings, 1960s awfulness and half-hearted slightly off the street modern units. And no big retailer wants the quirkily-shaped old buildings, the 60s ones are occupied by banks etc, so a new shopping centre made perfect sense for chains who just want a box that is the same dimensions as their other shops. Until retail died, natch)

Eagles Meadow opened in the middle of the 2008 financial crisis, on my 18th birthday in fact. There's some symbolism there for me and my generation.

[thr0b]

It was decent and well-populated when it opened. But almost every chain retailer that was there in the first year or so is defunct now. Not a failing of the centre itself, just bad timing.

[Blue Jam]

I haven't set foot in Wrexham since 2005. Think Eagles Meow (as the vandalised street sign used to say) was still All Fields Back Then. Island Green hadn't been open long and had a decent TK Maxx and an HMV but the rest was Brantano and various pound shops.

Wrectum High Street is atypical, yes. Is that Irish pub [EDIT: The Horse and Jockey] still there? I had a job interview there when I was about 18 and they never called me back. Seemed a bit of a bleak pub and very odd location.

[thr0b]

I moved to Shrewsbury during 2014, but the Irish pub next to Santander was still there. It's a listed building I believe, so it'll be there until it falls down.

Horrid low door. Nearly concussed myself pretty much every time I went there.

[Blue Jam]

Yes, it was a very weird location for such a place, but I imagine it was there first and all the 1960's buildings just went up around it.

I never actually drank there. The job interview was the only time I ever went in and I still remember the low ceilings.

[thr0b]

Yes, it was a very weird location for such a place, but I imagine it was there first and all the 1960's buildings just went up around it.

I never actually drank there. The job interview was the only time I ever went in and I still remember the low ceilings.

It was a nice pub back when I was last there. A bit Old Man and could get a bit rough on some nights, but perfectly nice 90% of the time.

[kalowski]

Pizza Express now closing 73 restaurants:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-53830064

The Pizza Express in Hale is just a kids club. Bloody dough balls and cucumber sticks everywhere.
I love it.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Pizza Express pizzas are disgusting. They drizzle them with olive oil before they put them in the oven so they are absolutely sodden with grease. Anything with processed meats on it is swimming in it.

A few years back I had a made use of a voucher so went along. They do a non-AIDS tier luxury pizza, that costs a little bit more. Flash cunt, I went for it. I was surprised not just because it was better but because it was absolutely delicious (even if it took a very long time to arrive, which may have added to the longing to taste something). I won't usually go in to bat for this alumni of Cunt's College but my word, that was a spot on pizza. There was a lot of grilled veg as a topping all of which tasted not only fresh but perfectly cooked.

I'm surprised both that Pizza Express devalued their product by selling the same fucking pizza in supermarkets for £2.50 but also that doing so didn't put people off either buying them in supermarkets or going to the restaurants.

I guess you have to really remind yourself that the majority of the human race is even worse than Prince Andrew and that Pizza Express is the sort of company most of this sub-Andrew sludge would conceive if they had the credit available.

[imitationleather]

I've not been to Pizza Express for many, many years because if I'm going to go to the effort of having a pizza out then these days there's almost definitely a better independent place in the area.

Maybe not in Wrexham, I dunno.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

I've not been to Pizza Express for many, many years because if I'm going to go to the effort of having a pizza out then these days there's almost definitely a better independent place in the area.

Maybe not in Wrexham, I dunno.

Remember a few years ago when people on here from the commuter belt of London hand on heart tried to claim there were zero independent italian restaurants they could go to?

[PowerButchi]

I dont think there's any Indies in Wrexham.

I live near Wrexham in a place called Plas Vegas but if I need to go into a town for some shopping or something I'll go into Oswestry instead as its completely less shit a shopping experience.

Mind you I did go to the new Sports Direct instead the old BHS in wrexham to exchange some golf shoes yesterday.

[wooders1978]

I dont think there's any Indies in Wrexham.

I thought that has to be bollox but googled it - TWO Franky and bennys and a pizza express, absolute desolation

[thr0b]

The two Frankie & Benny's are within 10 minutes walk of each other as well. Though one of them did well when it was next door to the Odeon. The other is now next door to the Odeon, as the Odeon moved.

[Blue Jam]

Is The Sleepy Panda still going? I remember when that was the only restaurant in Wrexham.

[buttgammon]

Is The Sleepy Panda still going? I remember when that was the only restaurant in Wrexham.

Maybe Covid has put paid to it but it was open when I last walked past (about a year ago). My girlfriend tried to get me to take her there once because she liked the name.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

#F.c.u.k
32 Town Hill, Wrexham LL13 8NB
01978 366767
https://maps.app.goo.gl/xoYnNyydubDZmwGr7


I still haven't stopped laughing at this yet

[PowerButchi]

I'm pretty sure the Frankie and Bennys have closed too. Pretty sure it was in the Daily Post.

Wrexham is absolute shite if you want a meal out of an evening unless you're bang into wetherspoons.

[PowerButchi]

#F.c.u.k
32 Town Hill, Wrexham LL13 8NB
01978 366767
https://maps.app.goo.gl/xoYnNyydubDZmwGr7


I still haven't stopped laughing at this yet

It was better when it was Chicken Yum Yum

[Blue Jam]

God, yet another Wrexham thread

WREXHAM THREAD:

https://www.cookdandbombd.co.uk/forums/index.php/topic,82238.0.html

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Edit, woops

[petril]

Wire picks up an M&S cheese and onion sandwich with "You Love Us" written on it. He just nods in approval.

he sheds a tear because Richey Edwards isn't there to carve "4 REAL" into it

[thecuriousorange]

STA Travel, which specialised in lengthy package trips for "gap yah" young people, has ceased trading. All 50 branches across the UK won't be reopening.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/business-53868447

[Blue Jam]

STA Travel, which specialised in lengthy package trips for "gap yah" young people, has ceased trading. All 50 branches across the UK won't be reopening.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/business-53868447

Sad news, but Big Suze is looking well.

[BlodwynPig]

Sad news, but Big Suze is looking well.

The BBC forever hawking these personal, emotive stories in their news articles. The vomit at the bottom of the well stuff. Fuck Big Suze, the baby - enjoy Walsall, it has a lot to offer.

[Blue Jam]

The credits may be rolling for Cineworld:

https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-healthcineworld-grp/cineworld-draws-up-plans-to-close-all-uk-screens-newspaper-idUSKBN26O10B

If Cineworld's business isn't viable then Odeon, Vue etc are probably also getting worried.

[Mrs Wogans lemon drizzle]

Someone made the point that the cinemas should start showing classic films, give. The lack of new material.  Sounds like a reasonable idea to keep them ticking over.