The 'more shops needed' argument for Sunderland is a little flawed

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We recently ran a story about new hospitality businesses due to open in Sunderland; cafes, bars and a steakhouse, dotted around the city.

Hospitality is increasingly crucial to the Wearside economy.Hospitality is increasingly crucial to the Wearside economy.
Hospitality is increasingly crucial to the Wearside economy. | Submitted

Those old enough might remember when dining out was a rare treat. Now, assuming it’s affordable, it's the norm.

Between 2016 and 2022, hospitality increased its annual UK economic contribution by £20billion to £93billion; pandemic notwithstanding. Sunderland wants in on it. Why not?

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Our piece was greeted with optimism and supportive comments online. Mainly.

In its time, this column has had considerable fun with the Wearside Whinging Community; the twist-on-21 crowd (love that phrase) who, if greeted by news of Michelangelo's David being relocated, free of charge, from Florence to Farringdon, would find scope for complaint.

It should have been a local sculptor. Blocks our view of The Dolphin. The bairns aren't allowed to climb on it. David’s in the buff. Etc.

In fairness, the scepticism for new hospitality ventures is not the unalloyed and frankly weird griping, about anything, we often hear. These misgivings are well intended, but possibly a little misguided.

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People who run hospitality businesses stand accused; of opening hospitality businesses. Purportedly "it's shops we need".

This notion is often met with "well open one then". A little terse in tone perhaps, but delivering a point.

Even those of us who can barely distinguish a balance sheet from a hymn sheet, know that if unsentimental business types in hospitality sniffed a larger return by opening a boutique, ironmongers or whatever, then they would do so.

They haven't. So the statement about needing more shops is not really on the (literal) money.

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Although M&S were less than transparent about what they did to Sunderland (they never answered direct questions over whether their High Street shop had been making a profit or loss), we know why Debenhams, Joplings, Wilko and others closed.

Sunderland isn’t unique. Empty shops stand in London's Oxford Street and in every town and city in the West.

The internet obviously has much to do with this, but we can't uninvent it. However, we can support the shops that still trade in Sunderland.

Supply and demand dictates that if we needed more shops, then more would appear.

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