SOCIAL MEDIA personality Rick Gannon has visited Redditch town centre, in his latest ‘death of the high street’ video series.
The entrepreneur was encouraged to visit the town, after making videos on neighbouring Bromsgrove and Kidderminster, and said Redditch was ‘not the worst he had seen’.
In total he recorded 41 shops that were closed in the Kingfisher Centre, on Alcester Street, Market Place and Unicorn Hill, much lower compared to Kidderminster’s 73.
Rick said the main issue was the size of the Kingfisher Centre, and the way shops are spread across the town.
He said: “I don’t think this is irreversible, I think the kingfisher centre is busy enough to attract more businesses but there are a lot of closed shops.
“But it is so big, it takes up pretty much the whole of Redditch town centre.”
He noted how the Royal Enfield, a Wetherspoons, was packed ‘as it should be’ but was confused at how little market stalls were up, leading him to believe it wasn’t market day.
The outdoor market has been a hotly debated topic in Redditch, after it was removed from the town centre into a unit in the Kingfisher.
Labour borough councillors campaigned on their promise to bring it back to Market Place, and it was reinstated last year, but many critics have noted the lack of stalls and atmosphere compared to Bromsgrove and Droitwich.
Overall Rick said it wasn’t bad, and things could be done to help get businesses back into Redditch.
- WHAT do you think of Redditch town centre? What do you think should be done to improve it? What shops would you like to see coming to the town? What do you think of the market? Email: [email protected] with your views.
