Could M&S move back into city?

THE loss of Debenhams in Friars Walk, Newport, was a bitter blow - which while covid did not help - in reality the Debenhams retail model had been failing for some years.

That said, Marks and Spencer quit the city centre stating amongst other things the lack of parking and the difficulties of modernising their building.

Perhaps they might consider coming back to make use of the former Debenhams building - which is effectively brand new and has plenty of parking.

The Friar’s Walk development itself was too small, too limited in scope and failed to create the retail space for local businesses to set up from the start.

While there have been some tentative steps towards that recently, at a fundamental level that has to change from now on - there has to be a blend of local businesses and the usual suspects - there is room enough to make this work.

One basic economic fact is that if you spend £10 in local business it will circulate three times longer locally in the local economy than £10 spent in a chain outlet.

Newport has suffered because of the unhealthy obsession with directly competing with Cardiff and Cribbs Causeway.

We seriously need to focus on growing small local businesses that supply our needs as well as hosting the usual suspects to bring economic life back to our city centre.

If we can do this then we can bring sustainable economic growth and some life back to our city centre. Jonathan T Clark Newport