Eye on Ashfield: Why we have to make the most of Superdrug closing and make a positive change for Kirkby
It was a sad time earlier this month for Kirkby town centre with the loss of another national high street brand.
Superdrug went the way of Boots and shut its door for the final time, leaving behind an unsightly vacant unit for the foreseeable future.
Some folk may say so what? It's just a shop. In the broader sense they are perhaps correct, but it does overlook that Superdrug was a ‘familiar friend’ to those of us who stroll into town each day and formed an important and recognisable part of the Kirkby landscape.
Behind the simple fact that some shutters are closed, though, lies the stark reality that trading in small towns is no longer viable, or even necessary, for most national chains.
As much as traders beat the ‘shop local’ drum, consumers simply aren’t going to do that unless they really have to. Whatever the rights and wrongs of it, it’s just far easier to get Amazon, Superdrug, Boots - or whoever it may be - to bring everything direct to your door. Online shopping has made life very easy, very convenient and driven a nail into the coffin of town centre trade.
Places like Kirkby can’t fight that trend - it’s a losing battle. Instead they have to be realistic and adapt to this change in lifestyle. I was speaking to a friend over breakfast at the Regent over the weekend who said a Greggs would be a good replacement.
For me these sorts of ideas are just a non-starter. Whether it’s an option that Greggs would be interested in is something I wouldn’t know. What I do know is that with Morissons, Subway, the butchers and the Moor Market cafe within a stones throw, we certainly don’t need a Greggs.
Instead I’d love to see the chance seized upon to turn the former Superdrug into a unit that brings something positive into Kirkby and helps people who live and work in the town.
It could perhaps become a monthly pop-up market with stalls representing a single theme each month, whether that is artisan food created or produced locally, art and craft work from local artists trying to get off the ground or homemade clothing items with a local theme.
Perhaps this one is pie in the sky, but wouldn’t it be nice if the unit became a small cultural hub for community activities with a season theme, offering an indoor venue for carols at Christmas perhaps or a place for local theatre groups and schools to bring their performances to the general public. It would certainly bring a bit of life into the town centre.
There’s so many things that the unit could become and so many options (‘;m thinking hairdressers and vape shops for a start) that would just be dire for Kirkby and a really sad indictment of where it’s heading.
Time will only tell as to what will be the next addition on the Kirkby business scene. Money will no doubt talk, but whatever the unit becomes, I hope it offers something different and positive for our lovely little town.
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