Should we be worried that the Castle Bell news agency is for sale? Probably. This is because it is the town centre's one remaining newsagent. If it sells as a going concern, fair enough. But if it doesn't... there will be nowhere in town to buy a daily newspaper and nowhere to buy a packet of "traditional" ciggies.
Let's be blunt. The business isn't sustainable. There are fewer smokers, for one thing. And there are far fewer of us who purchase a printed newspaper. This may not be the age of Aquarius which is, of course, bunkum, but instead it is very much the age of the internet. There's news aplenty to read online without spending upwards of 70p or getting your hands blackened. And, online news updates itself instantly and is available whenever you are.
These days, those of us who do prefer paper news find it so much easier to park at the Co-op, Bridge Services or Tesco than to drive into town. Parking at Castle Bell involves obstructing traffic (and commit a civil infringement) by parking on a set of yellow lines on the narrows of Clwyd Street.
There are signs that Castle Bell has been struggling. Its range of magazines has greatly reduced. It doesn't seem to be satisfied with the offer of other goods it sells. The new owners took over in November 2009, painted the place in June 2010 and in 2013 tried to convert the premises into something of a general store, opening till 9pm in the process. In came milk, bread, biscuits, baked beans and so on. This didn't last long. In September 2015, Castle Bell closed on Sundays. Then, a month later, it began to experiment with all sorts of odd stock, including perfumes. In April 2016, Castle Bell reopened on Sundays. The perfumes largely disappeared and from September 2017 other unrelated-to-news goods appeared, some of which had a new-age feel to them. Here were a small number of gifts and some trinkets. The stock of greetings cards increased.
And, now we learn that, as of yesterday, the business is for sale. The asking price for three beds, a shower room (no bath) and of course a shop and storage area is £350,000.
These days, those of us who do prefer paper news find it so much easier to park at the Co-op, Bridge Services or Tesco than to drive into town. Parking at Castle Bell involves obstructing traffic (and commit a civil infringement) by parking on a set of yellow lines on the narrows of Clwyd Street.
There are signs that Castle Bell has been struggling. Its range of magazines has greatly reduced. It doesn't seem to be satisfied with the offer of other goods it sells. The new owners took over in November 2009, painted the place in June 2010 and in 2013 tried to convert the premises into something of a general store, opening till 9pm in the process. In came milk, bread, biscuits, baked beans and so on. This didn't last long. In September 2015, Castle Bell closed on Sundays. Then, a month later, it began to experiment with all sorts of odd stock, including perfumes. In April 2016, Castle Bell reopened on Sundays. The perfumes largely disappeared and from September 2017 other unrelated-to-news goods appeared, some of which had a new-age feel to them. Here were a small number of gifts and some trinkets. The stock of greetings cards increased.
Tags:
Shops