A home furnishings shop in Lincoln will close its doors in December due to the business being “no longer sustainable” in the city.
Raspberry Village on St Mark’s Street will shut at the end of the year because it can no longer afford the rent and rates to trade in Lincoln.
The unit was put for sale since early 2011, and the store denied at the time it was looking to relocate.
The shop began trading in Lincoln seven years ago, and the closure will lead to six job losses.
Sales manager Donald Clark said: “It is with much sadness that we have decided to close our store after seven years of trading. Lincoln has become a very hard city to trade in.
“I believe rents and rates are too high for the potential business and catchment area.
“We are, of course, in a long haul recession and premium feel good home purchases such as those offered at Raspberry Village are the first to be hurt.
“When we opened in Lincoln there were great plans to open out this part of the city, with a new walk-through and high end residential accommodation. However, the plans came to a grinding halt and other changes made in the city have had real effects, such as letting high street stores move to retail parks.”
The closure means the only shop left within the complex on St Mark’s Street opposite Debenhams will be Bathstore.
However, the bathroom goods shop may relocate due to the lack of footfall along the street.
If Bathstore moves, the Junxion complex will only have the Yoyo in Bejing restaurant and Spar convenience shop trading in the area.
Both Raspberry Village and Bathstore felt the student accomodation above the shops were part of the issue — the student footfall is less likely to shop for their products.
It is likely that even more students could end up living in the area due to a planning application to build 120 student rooms on the old Bacon Factory land.
However, in addition to the rooms, a number of new retail units, such as a coffee shop space, will be opened, which could attack more businesses to the area.
Clark added: “Parking in Lincoln is expensive and it’s difficult to find spaces, especially at weekends, which is our peak trading time.
“I feel the planners have made some bad decisions and have a lot to answer for in Lincoln.”
Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
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We are appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage after a collision caused serious injuries to a 23-year-old man.
Just before 3.30pm yesterday (2 July), we received reports of a collision on Barholm Road in Tallington. It involved a grey BMW 335D estate, a blue BMW 116D and an orange KTM motorcycle.
The motorcycle rider, a 23-year-old man, sustained serious injuries during the collision and was taken to hospital.
If you witnessed the incident and are yet to get in touch with us, please do so. If you have any other information or dashcam footage available that may have captured the road along the A1175 at the time of the collision, get in touch.
By calling 101 quoting incident 282 of 2 July.
By emailing [email protected] quoting incident 282 of 2 July in the subject line.
If you wish to remain anonymous, you can report via the independent charity CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111 or online.
The 2022 Destination Lincolnshire Tourism Excellence Awards are open for applications, and Destination Lincolnshire giving you the rare chance to co-create your application with Nell Barrington, a tourism awards veteran, who has helped hundreds of businesses write winning applications over the last 15 years – including national VisitEngland winners.
The Tourism Awards Masterclass is taking place on Tuesday 12 July at 11am for one-hour online. Laura Freer, Head of Marketing at Destination Lincolnshire said: “This is a golden opportunity, after years of hard work and heartache, to get your business and team recognised and rewarded.
“A well written application is key to achieving a coveted place on this year’s shortlist, and I’d encourage all tourism and visitor economy businesses who are thinking of entering – whether they are seasoned at writing award applications or not – to join us for this exclusive masterclass.
“Nell Barrington has worked with us and VisitEngland on the founding application processes of these awards, and she is perfectly placed to assist in co-creating applications that you can be proud of. This is a great opportunity for business development too – whether you are shortlisted for an award or not – discovering how to effectively apply for awards and talk up your business adds another string to your bow.
“Booking is essential and places are limited to just 35 – so be quick! This year we’ve made our masterclass available to partners and also to those who we are yet to work with for free. Call it an added bonus, after two years away from the awards circuit.
The awards masterclass is focussed on the application process, and it will spell out what the judges are looking for. You’ll learn how to make your application stand out from the local competition, helping your chances of going through to the national VisitEngland Awards in 2023.”
There are fifteen categories open for nominations from visitors attraction, accommodation providers, hospitality businesses and many more.
The deadline for nominations is July 29, with online judging starting on July 30 and mystery shopping from August 13. Finalists will be announced on Monday, August 15.
The awards ceremony will be held at the Engine Shed on October 21, and will be hosted by Lincs FM presenter, John Marshall.
The event is organised by Stonebow Media, publishers of The Lincolnite, to celebrate the best businesses in Greater Lincolnshire, alongside headline sponsors Lincoln College and Destination Lincolnshire.
We would also like to thank our other sponsors Visit Lincolnshire, Heart of Lincs, Duncan and Toplis and LNER, insight6 and EV Camel.
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