Town’s shops plight is getting worse
The devastating news of WHSmith’s closure comes one week after a special Wishaw Press investigation into the Main Street.
We revealed that 53 of the available 301 units in the town centre lay empty – amounting to 17 per cent of shops.
The figure was an increase of five units from the 2015 figures.
Wishaw has the second highest number of available units with 301 despite having had an £8million facelift in recent years.
North Lanarkshire Council have also tried to engage with local businesses through social media.
However, many residents took to our Facebook page to air their views on the Main Street.
Peter Robson said:“Why couldn’t the NLC give grants to shop owners to improve the front of their shops.
“Also, maybe giving a couple of popular brand shops a rent discount to attract them and generate some interest in the area wouldn’t hurt either as long as it didn’t conflict with the existing shop owners.”
Marco Mazzochi said:“The first culprit is the council, rateable values for commercial properties in Wishaw are higher than in central Glasgow.
“You cannot expect to open a shop with commodities when you have Lidl and Tesco 100 yards away.”
Steven Houston said:“Start by giving a council tax break to shops in and opening in the area.”
Jack Duffy, Town Centres Co-ordinator with Town Centre Activities, said:“We have undertaken a number of initiatives aimed at boosting the economic activity in Wishaw town centre.
“These include a digital platform which will include a dedicated website, a Facebook page and a Twitter account all designed to promote Wishaw town centre as well as help improve the digital awareness of North Lanarkshire’s businesses.”