IN what is usually the busiest time of the year for retailers, the emptying Hardshaw Centre has been exceptionally quiet in the week leading up to Christmas.
As St Helens Council plans to demolish the town centre shopping centre to make way for its regeneration plans next year, footfall has inevitably decreased as numerous businesses have left their premises over the past 12 months.
However, while many agree that the town centre is in urgent need of transformation, some workers would have preferred to stay in the shopping centre that has been a part of the town for more than four decades.
READ > 'End of an era': The Swan regulars enjoy pub's last Christmas before demolition
Employees sad to see the Hardshaw Centre go
Speaking to the Star last year, in what was believed at the time to be the centre's last Christmas, workers from the Country Kitchen and Simply Fashion spoke about their sadness in leaving the centre, which used to be "rammed" back in the "good old days".
As the council aims to consolidate most of the town's retail offer in one central area, i.e. Church Square shopping centre, the Country Kitchen and Simply Fashion have indeed left the Hardshaw Centre this year, as well as other businesses like ShoeZone, Bonmarche, and TJ Hughes.
With the date of demolition being pushed back, there are a handful of businesses that remain inside the shopping centre, such as the Womble Inn butchers shop, Heron Foods, One Below, Cafe Zinho, Waterfields, and Bargain Land.
Although these shops now occupy space next to empty units, many employees wish that they could stay inside the centre and that the regeneration work went on around them.
'We want to stay as long as possible'
Moving to the Hardshaw Centre just weeks before lockdown in 2020, the Womble Inn has developed a trusted and popular reputation in the town centre, which was particularly helped as it remained open as an essential service throughout the pandemic.
Although the business has agreed to a unit on Church Street, there has been numerous delays to their move and business owner David Woods wants to stay in their current home for as long as possible.
David, who started the business in Newcastle-under-Lyme 50 years ago, said: "As we stayed open during covid, this was really good for us as we had queues right down the centre.
"We have been one of the busiest units since we moved here, and we're still busy now, despite the empty shops.
"We're right off the bus station and you do still get a lot of people walking through the centre, so everyone knows where we are.
"If it was up to me, we wouldn't be moving and I'm not sure if it will be as busy in the new store.
"There have been delays because we have been waiting on deliveries for equipment, and we have our proposed moving date in January, but we want to stay here as long as we can!"
Sitting opposite the Womble Inn, business has been less busy for discount store 'Bargain Land', with owner Max Dudhwala describing it as the "deadest" Christmas he has ever experienced in retail.
While Max agrees that St Helens is in urgent need of regeneration, he expressed concern about some of the council's proposals, such as the 120-bed hotel which will take shape in the town centre.
Max believes that the Hardshaw Centre, located next to the town's bus station, should have been the shopping centre to have remained in town amid the regeneration plans.
Max and his son Hamza, who also works in the business, said: "Things have been a lot less busy since all the [Hardshaw] shops starting leaving. This is the deadest Christmas I've experienced in what is usually the busiest time of the year.
"The town 100% needs regeneration but I think the Hardshaw Centre could have stayed with a bit of an uplift, it's right next to the bus station and there were a lot of good shops here."
Although the council has offered a new unit for Bargain Land, Max said that the proposals would not have been the right move for his business.
The family also owns 'Discount Land' in St Mary's Arcade, and plan to move the majority of their stock to this unit in February, although Max expressed further concerns about this shopping centre and its future in the town.
Many Hardshaw workers unsure of their future
Speaking to other employees inside the Hardshaw Centre, such as those at Waterfields and One Below, there seems to be an air of both sadness and confusion as business is a lot quieter than it used to be, and there is a lack of communication surrounding moving dates and new units.
Other Hardshaw employees who are unsure of their future include the centre's cleaning and security teams, with some being a friendly feature of the centre for decades.
Karen Hall, who won a BBC 'Make a Difference' award for going above and beyond in the Hardshaw Centre, said: "People often ask us do we know when we are leaving or if we are going anywhere else, but we don't have any answers.
"We have seen some of the same faces in here for years, and we have great relationships with customers and the businesses here.
"It's a real shame because it is like a little community in here, between the customers and businesses, and some people have even said it is the friendliest shopping centre they have ever been to.
"Someone got me a card and chocolates for Christmas and things like this mean everything to me.
"We will keep going until the end and we want to say a big thank you to all the customers that have been so nice to us over the years."
Statement from St Helens Council
In a previous statement, St Helens Borough Council said: "The footprint of the Hardshaw Centre forms a key part of the first phase of redevelopment which will see a wide avenue opening up the space from an improved bus station to the heart of Church Square.
“The purchase of the Hardshaw Centre – alongside purchase of several other properties in the area – paves the way for the creation of new high-quality office spaces and homes, an international hotel brand, a revitalised market hall and an enhanced bus station.
"It is [also] nearly 30 years since St Helens bus station was last improved to form the current heavily constrained footprint and poor appearance.
"A new and extended bus station that will future proof the provision of bus services and act as an attractive arrival point in St Helens town centre is a core component of the Masterplan, delivering a more accessible public transport network to connect communities across the borough and drive sustainable footfall into the town centre."
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