I reckon the new NRQ will crash badly. Why?

1) 100+ new stores, only 1500 planned extra parking spaces. This won't drag shoppers away from Meadow hell.
2) Income levels in Sheff are well below the national average - this city is just not affluent enough to support the sort of store the CC want to attract (Harvey Nicks, Selfridges, designer boutiques etc etc)
3) It will kill off The Moor (mind you - is that a bad thing?)

The plans look fantastic but considering the demographics and the local economy this scheme has disaster written all over it.

I'm curious that you quote 1500 new parking spaces - from the info I've seen, the new John Lewis car park will have 2000 spaces on its own. Or has something changed?

2) Income levels in Sheff are well below the national average - this city is just not affluent enough to support the sort of store the CC want to attract (Harvey Nicks, Selfridges, designer boutiques etc etc)


Sheffield Hallam is one of the richest wards (income adjusted) in the country, outside London. Regardless, there are still many mid-level stores the city centre is lacking in its current state - apparently due to lack of quality retail space - that could open in the NRQ.


3) It will kill off The Moor (mind you - is that a bad thing?)


There are plans (by Deutsche Bank) for The Moor to be regenerated around the same time as when the NRQ is being constructed.

I reckon the new NRQ will crash badly. Why?

1) 100+ new stores, only 1500 planned extra parking spaces. This won't drag shoppers away from Meadow hell.
2) Income levels in Sheff are well below the national average - this city is just not affluent enough to support the sort of store the CC want to attract (Harvey Nicks, Selfridges, designer boutiques etc etc)
3) It will kill off The Moor (mind you - is that a bad thing?)

The plans look fantastic but considering the demographics and the local economy this scheme has disaster written all over it.

I and most of my friends would love shops like Selfridges, Harvey Nicks etc in Sheffield. Most of us would shop there and none of us are rich.

Retailers are fairly hard headed so I'm sure they'll do their research and sums before they sign up. I don't think the NRQ is necessarily about giving Sheffield city centre a world beating shopping complex - just something appropriate for a large city rather than a large market town. It will also be useful to make the main shopping area more compact rather than something which straggles for a mile, over a hill.

Retailers are fairly hard headed so I'm sure they'll do their research and sums before they sign up. I don't think the NRQ is necessarily about giving Sheffield city centre a world beating shopping complex - just something appropriate for a large city rather than a large market town. It will also be useful to make the main shopping area more compact rather than something which straggles for a mile, over a hill.

I'm quite sure you're absolutely right about retailers being hard-headed particularly if Macdonalds Hotel is a reliable indicator because they definitely got their research right in terms of pricing, services and extremely generous servings of wine which represent excellent value for money for wine drinkers which with utmost regret I hasten to say I am not. This is merely my observation of the outcome of a colleague who got sloshed on 3 glasses of extremely good quality and rather large glasses of white wine.