Worries over town’s empty shops as Poundland quits

An MP has accused a discount store of not giving a town centre "a fair crack of the whip" after it closed its doors four months after opening.

Justin Madders, the Labour MP for Ellesmere Port and Neston, told BBC Radio Merseyside he felt Poundland had not given the site enough time to build up a customer base.

Poundland took over the former Wilko store in October but shut it down on 11 February.

The company said it was "disappointed" the store did not meet its trading expectations.

Mr Madders said he was "very concerned" about the number of empty shops in the town centre.

"I think everyone who cares about the town centre feels the same way," he said.

"We really need to have a concerted effort and plan to bring some life back into our town centres, and I think a lot of people would be delighted if that were to happen," Mr Madders added.

A spokesperson for Poundland said: "We’re as disappointed as anyone that the Ellesmere Port store sadly hasn’t met our trading expectations.

"The team has worked incredibly hard to make it work, but despite our best efforts, the store is a very large one and therefore difficult to make work.

"We couldn't see that changing so rather than give colleagues false hope, we've quickly looked to find them roles at nearby stores.

"While we're disappointed that it hasn’t worked out in Ellesmere Port, we'll continue to look for the right location in and around the town."

Ellesmere Port received £13.4m from the government’s Levelling Up Fund, which is to be used for town centre schemes.

They include a revamp of the market, improving pedestrian and cycle access, and making two sites suitable for building homes.

Nathan Pardoe, Cheshire West and Chester Council’s cabinet member for regeneration, said the challenges in Ellesmere Port were similar to those facing other towns around the country.

"That's just a symptom of the public's shopping habits changing and we can either fight against that with the old retail-led way of doing things, or think about what a modern town centre looks like," he said.

Mr Pardoe said he saw Ellesmere Port Market "as a big part of a modern town centre".

He added: "It’s got a market that’s loved by the community already with fantastic traders and that’s why from the council's side the focus is on investing in the market."

Cheshire West and Chester Council has in recent years invested in a new market in Chester as part of the Northgate development in the city centre.

Mr Pardoe said the plans for Ellesmere Port were "not a repeat of Chester Market".

"What's different in Ellesmere Port is the market building works well, there are good traders and different types of stalls and cafes and that side of it all works brilliantly.

"It’s all about making the space look better, feel better, future-proofing it for years to come."

Construction work on Ellesmere Port Market is set to begin in the spring for completion in summer 2025.

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