That’s Odd

Tomorrow sees the premises currently occupied by Oddbins up for auction. This won’t affect tenants Oddbins, though. What will affect Oddbins is the move by its management to sell off its retail premises lease in Rhuthun, up for sale since February.

We feel that Oddbins wanting out is a great pity. Staff within obviously hope that the business can continue under another name, but the eventual loss of Oddbins as the most upmarket of wine merchants will be a blow to Rhuthun. Of the sale, we said in April, “Does this say that Rhuthun isn’t quite so Bohemian as we might like to think? That the wine drinking classes aren’t present after all?” We wondered whether the Tesco wine club had cornered the market.

April’s announcement that Oddbins would stay open till 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 9 p.m. on Sundays has come to nought. They’ve reverted to 9 p.m. and 8 p.m. respectively. Not to mention closing all day on Mondays and Tuesdays.

The franchise for the other Rhuthun town centre off licence is for sale. This is the one with ornate shelving, Thresher’s, on St Peter’s Square. Reportedly asking £20,000 plus stock, the Thresher website no longer points to the Rhuthun outlet being for sale. We trust that this means the franchise has found itself a buyer.