Does Manchester Need Saving?
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- Опубликовано: 7 дек 2023
- / wanderingturnip
www.buymeacoffee.com/wanderin...
The 9th episode of the Death of the High Street - Manchester
We are closer to home this time, but since London shocked me, I thought it was only right to head to my nearest big city, and see how the high street is looking there.
It is christmas time, so the markets are out, which always gives a sense that a place is doing well. But behind that, the retail seemed in the same state as everywhere else.
Also, by amazing coincidence, there was a talk going on in the evening in Manchester. The topic - the declining high streets. It was really interesting to finish the video there and get an in depth look at a serious study on what is going on. Hopefully I will be able to do more with there findings at some point.
I do love Manchester, it is a great city. It has fallen victim to the problem that everywhere has, which is...we just don't need that much retail space any more. How to reimagine it is the key question now.
Debenhams Exploration video by @Urbandoned
• Exploring Manchester's...
Thank you as always for watching.
W.T
#london #abandoned #capital #urban #decay #towns #buildings #fail #city #levellingup
My mother died in 2008 and even then she said "Give it enough time and all you'll see on the High Street will be charity shops, phone shops and crappy takeaways".
Don't forget all the bloody coffee shops
@@es8117 and the vape shops 🙄
And gambling shops….taking money from the poor and giving to the rich…
Vaping wasn’t around then, but she knew ❤
İt is the same everywhere on world nowadays
I’m Mancunian, and what amazes me is tens of thousands of apartments have been built in the City Centre over the past 15 years. All these extra consumers on the doorstep and these businesses have still failed.
those extra consumers who probably order everything online anyway ;)
Could be empty properties as well
... Bought for investment / renting out
Immos don't spend money.
the high rise blocks are for foreign students paying high rents and 3 times the tuition fees as English students at the fake universities.
Up to the eyeballs in debt doesn’t leave much spending money
Google Map's timelapse of different eras is a really cool feature. Only found it out because if this video. Seeing how the nearby towns have changed (declined), and brings back old memories as a kid going to the town centre when it was alive. Takeaways, charity shops, phone shops, Poundland, make up the majority of what's left.
Did you notice how much greenery has been chopped down and paved over too? I've looked at images around my area on Google Maps from 2008 and it was so much greener around here back then. Back in 2008, only a few people had paved over their front gardens. Now most people have. It's part of the reason why the air quality in residential areas is terrible now.
I was looking for this! I wanted to know what it is! How far back does it go?
Yup looking back to 2009 on Google maps in my town you can see the impact online shopping has had, and yes all that remains really is takeaways and places to do your shopping.
I live in a small historic city about 50 miles (1 hour drive) south of Washington D.C.. Our only indoor shopping mall was bustling with shops and shoppers into the 2000's. I went there just the other day and many of the shops are gone. Its still being used though, but not so much for commerce. There's a post office in there now, a neighborhood extension of the library full up with books and shelves, an extension office for the Sheriff's Department...all in places where there were clothing and accessory retail shops and restaraunts. I expect to see a branch office of our Social Services Agency or Child Support Enforcement Office next time! At least its being used for something. The mark of depressed areas where I live are Dollar Stores, liquor shops, and check cashing/payday-loan businesses. If there are a lot of those things close together in the same area then its time to get out of there!
Google Map in general is not that helpful. When one looking for a place one gets confused by the prevalence of retail names
British cities are just misery pits now. I used to spend a lot of time in them in my teens-early 20's to escape my small town and the small town mentality people have here, but now when you go into a city, you constantly get hassled by homeless people and the vibes are sh!t in general. This leaves me in a situation where I don't like the town I live in, but I don't like what cities have become either, so I spend most of my time at home these days.
By design welcome to the corporate human farm.
Same I stay home all the time now
If you are sensitive you would find any city 'in yur face' The only change in homeless beggars is that they used to be old men with bottles and now they are young people with white powder. In advancing years we sometimes get less tolerant of intrusive events.
@@garyjcampbell2058 Or maybe it could just be that the vibe has changed like I said.
@@garyjcampbell2058 na, mate. The country has changed and entirely for the worse.
It’s been squeezed dry and impoverished and this is the result.
You and Wendall do great work in this field. Considering the financial weight of UK domestic TV channels, RUclips documentaries like these are often better and without bias. Keep it up. Regards from the south east. 👍
I totally agree with you about this!
@@Azrael1st- not to mention the soon to be £169.50 that they expect you to pay for your own brainwashing!
@@DaysOfDarknessUK Tel-lie-vision ? Sadly many still do .The majority in fact .
The content of channel makers like WT is far superior to any homogenised tv programme because it is AUTHENTIC and organic. TV is over.
I agree with what you say about RUclips being better, but I don't believe TV being dead. What about fantasy shows like GAME OF THRONES, or THE WALKING DEAD? Companies like NETFLIX would be broke, but they are still making massive profits. Not that I think they deserve it.@@nelliemelba4967
Your reference to "Road to Wigan Pier" is perfect. A housing crisis, wasted public funds, poor food/diets, slums etc; all from 90 years ago.
Everything that was achieved by post war Britain, free health care, decent housing, a decent education, employment, is now in ruins or has been wound back to mirror the 1930s.
It would be worth following up 'Wigan Pier' with Down and Out in Paris and London. Though the homelessness now is often more complex than the 1930s, some things seem to endure.
Its Called the Great Reset and all being done on purpose, the elite do not want a middle class messing up the enviroment so they are making us poor and taking us back to a time where there were no foreign holidays, no cars and limited food and lesuire, they have been doing it gradually for decades now but it is all part of a plan 'you will own nothing and be happy is the motto'. But make no mistake they will be living lives of total opulance, like ancient leaders.
Except the US had the opposite, no free health care, no free education, very limited social support.... And yet it has even worse social problems
It’s worrying that we fall into the same problems
Agreed.
We are heading back to the times where 10% are wealthy/comfortable and 90% have buggar all (as we say in Yorkshire) this is not good for anyone, because the rich will need to be vigilant when surrounded by poverty.
All by design = 100% planned.
You didn't visit Afflecks and the Manchester Craft and Design Centre- these are a good example of a big building being used consistently long term. It's made up of small individual stores/shops, most of which are owned by independent local people. The Trafford Centre used to have the Marketplace too which was a similar thing.
There are probably plenty of small makers there to speak to about Made In Britain too. Also, Lanx shoe makers are a slightly bigger brand or Thunder Egg which started in Afflecks!
I wonder how much the death of the railways (and repeated failure of Northern rail) has impacted visitor stats to Manchester? I live about 40 mins away on the train but it is such an unreliable service that other places become more accessible.
That’s true and for those who live in Greater Manchester buses are very unreliable also.
A lot of the stores in Afflecks have declined too. Empty spots have cropped up, and a lot of the stores now just sell dropshipped items that would've been popular 10 years ago and now only appeal to elder millennials stuck in their ways. It's depressing.
Parking in Manchester centre is crazy expensive. I did a job in a fancy flat near the Arndale and paid £26. A lot of trades won't go into the centre as you have to carry your tools miles through crowded streets, pass through multiple security doors with their own codes, pay a fortune in parking and risk having your van broken into by the local crack heads
Large American cities are the same.
Just like edinburgh
And then all the bus lane cameras.
You parked in the wrong place, plenty of smaller central car parks where it’s £7 a day or sometimes free if you find the right street which hasn’t been adopted for parking yet (there’s a few near Piccadilly station)
@@jeanniegoldweddingplanner Have to park as close as possible due to carrying tools. This was in the Northern Quarter
Having been to christmas markets in several European countries I can confirm that 90% of stalls in all of them sell the same cheap tat, all made in china. The other 10% occasionally includes some nice food. So, overall not worth it.
I agree. Cheap tat often in the rain with a nasty overpriced mulled wine from a garden shed. I really don't get it.
Plus many literal shops here that usually have nice local stuff get rid of it before christmas to only sell made in china crap and cash in. Do other european countries do that too?
you can get mostly the same stuff at the Christmas Market in Chicago as in Berlin, except for the product labels.
There's a few good stalls...one being a jewellery stall on market street..Amazonas gifts (or something like that) she sells beautiful stuff.
Yep. The only truly authentic Christmas markets not peddling that crap are some of the niche German ones, I think.
Loving the idea of the Made in Britain idea. I always find it fascinating that they say it would cost to much to manufacture stuff in the UK. Yet the cheapest most reliable hoover is a Henry Hoover and that is all manufactured in the UK and that contains complex to produce parts.
Not sure why though..it's a pain to cart around.
@@dirkbogarde44 it is slightly awkward but not that bad
My Henry is at least fifteen years old and I would like a vacuum cleaner that is less cumbersome and heavy but it is still going strong still and I can't justify replacing it.
Some of the main reasons Henry is so popular are that it doesn't contain complex to produce parts, it's tough enough to be used by commercial cleaners, it's dead easy to repair and it's pretty good as a vacuum cleaner as well as being cheap (no complex to manufacture, expensive parts) and reliable (no complex parts to go faulty)
@@M0UAW_IO83 it does have complex parts you can't make a vacuum cleaner without complex parts the motor is complex.
I own a small business retail property since 1987 and ive witnessed the decline. One of the problems not being talked about is barbers shops money laundering.
No one can talk about it without getting mafioso style threats.
Im selling my building as i did speak out and I've been threatened.
Hope you are well mate! Also good luck with the new business, whatever it is!
As a landlord I don't think you're eligible to question anybody moral compass.....
@@Church_Of_Kloppism What's your point?
@@djbilly5913 landlords are scum.
I'm Italian, in central and northern Italy, both cities, between industries, the tertiary sector, we are lucky compared to you Britons, obviously not the glittering London, but it's just a happy island and nothing in common with the real England. We have the south, which is migrating en masse to Rome, Milan, Bologna, we use them as labour, in large industries, there is a lack of workers, in the north many young people already have their 10 employees, MASERATI... it is easy in Italy to become an entrepreneur ,,very startup s
I’m an American, active middle aged, and one of my favorite memories is Manchester back in the late nineties. It was magical. And this - it breaks my heart. I wonder about all of the people whom I met - where are they? Are they okay?
Do not be fooled by this video.
Written by Alliance Investments | Jun 7, 2023 2:38:21 PM
It is not news that Manchester is a booming city with great future prospects. We reported recently that its economy is set to grow to £71bn GVA annually by the end of 2024, fuelled by the creation of 28,000 jobs and a huge amount of foreign direct investment (FDI).
However, the scale of Manchester’s opportunity to keep growing and growing has been underlined this week by CBRE’s Which City? Which Sector? report which has delivered even better news than could have been expected.
The report analysed 50 of the largest regional towns and cities in the UK outside of London to evaluate their potential in a range of fields, including housing, offices, retail, life sciences, and industrial.
Commenting on the research method, Jennet Siebrits, Head of UK Research at CBRE, said: “The way towns and cities grow and evolve is very much reflective of their local geographies, natural resources, and cultural history.
“As a result, no two cities in the UK are the same, and subsequently, different real estate sectors thrive in different locations. Real estate professionals need to be cognizant of these differences to help inform their strategies.”
While it is true that no two UK cities are the same, it appears that no others in the UK outside of London excel to quite the same level that Manchester does. The city was ranked in the top 5 for almost all categories included in the report, and was first in approximately half of them.
Manchester's robust performance is attributed to a variety of factors. Key among them is its projected population growth of 6% in the next decade, a huge current and future talent pool, and an estimated consumer spending increase of 24.7% within the decade thanks to economic growth. Demand for office space and housing is set to increase alongside this.
With its thriving retail, tourism, and hospitality sectors, a diverse industry base, strong economic fundamentals, and one of Europe's largest student populations, Manchester continues to demonstrate remarkable resilience and growth potential.
Don't think things are bad here compared to many parts of the country. Manchester is buoyant in general but going through big changes in growing so fast.
@@ianmansbridge3646 The "Does Manchester Need Saving?" title is to get views, very misleading.
Those people are all scooping up property in "Europe".... as a B. dividend.
@@ianmansbridge3646yeahh reallo " buoyant"... it shows.
I’m a retired guy in the south. My family is originally from Yorkshire. I was born in Birmingham. I’m so sad that almost all manufacturing jobs were exported.
It was a conscious, deliberate destruction of a society, especially of what used to be called the working class, and we stupid middle classes just took to deflationary gains for decades.
Now, the denouement is here. For ALL of us.
We’re in full on authoritarian mode and de-civilisation of a nation.
I love my country. I’ve advised my young adult kids to emigrate for example to Croatia.
@GT380, Its a worldwide decline because we are at the end, look around you, everything is breaking down, the bible tells us what the signs will be at the end, and here we are
A quote from one of my favourite TV shows. “ Their strangling us so slowly were not even noticing”
Very good comment which resonates with my own experience. I remember in the mid to late 1970’s, jobs in the textile factories in my Derbyshire town started to diminish, and the workers were put on short time and eventually finished. Truth was the work was being exported to India for cheap labour. The decline of British Industries has been happening for decades, and yes I believe deliberately.
@@braxxian Interesting, which show are you quoting from?
@@lerhodes2236 Deliberately in the way that it made econimic sense to manufacture goods where it was cheaper to do so. I don't believe there was ever any 'grand master plan' to destroy the British working class or whatever.
Great channel, no bullshit, just honest and genuine 🙏
I came across your channel in the last week or so and watched several videos. I applaud what you're doing and your personality is endearing. This is happening in America as well maybe worse since many of our cities were designed around the automobile.Great content and spot on as the British would say.
I remember dead Manchester City Centre before the IRA bomb, a place that was almost completely depopulated with very few people living in the city centre it was really on its arse in a big way... The determination internationally after that atrocity to rebuild Manchester was the making of the place. Although not as vibrant as it was in the mid-90s and 00s it is a million times better than the city centre of the 70s and 80s.
More than any other place in the UK, Manchester shows you what is possible with the right will to create something new out of a decaying mess.
Cool video as always my friend. Some fantastic Victorian architecture. The entire country is on it's knee's and there are issues in every high street up and down the UK David. We were a world leading country, and now we are nothing. A real shame.
Great video, Scotland certainly isn’t immune to this either. Aberdeen, union street, used to be full of great shops but with Covid/ shopping centres built/ downturn of oil, the street is practically dead now. Although there is a campaign to revive it
No one has visited Scotland someone need to go to Greenock/Port Glasgow area and Cumbernauld is such an awful place it need a visit too
@@llanieliowe794 I'm in Glasgow. Sauchiehall Street and Argyle Street are appalling now - A shadow of their former selves. The city also looks filthy no thanks to the utterly inept SNP run Glasgow City Council.
not Covid, it was the lockdowns that deliberately destroyed small businesses.
Edinburgh had no boarded up shop I was there last week. Looks better than Manchester
@@sportsman2103 Its miles better than Manchester, don't think Jenners has reopened on Princess St and some rubbish American Candy Stores on the same strip. We are lucky as some nearby towns are rubbish.
Its a briliant series. We moved to Taiwan in 2020. The internet shopping here is quite small, shopee, pchome, momo is there but Amazon etc means importing. There are night markets and the streets are always heaving with shoppers. There is also a strange thing where alike businesses all exist in the same area, you need electronics you go that area and there are hundreds of shops. Getting married? There is a whole street of wedding shops. The difference between here and the UK is huge, sad to see the UK slipping down. Keep it up! Great videos!
Why Taiwan
...."we moved"......😅
Ah I miss Taiwan, I used to live in Banciao, think it’s been renamed to “New Taipei City” now. Those night markets are top tier, so much variety!
Same in London re shopping quarters. Jermyn Street, (shirts, shoes) Savile Row (suits), Soho (music, books). Hatton Garden (jewellery) Unfortunately much of it is foreign-owned, sold out to overseas investors and luxury brand conglomerates.
The only thing I regularly go into a physical shop for now is food. Everything else is generally easier to do online. A lot of services which traditionally required a brick and mortar location (banks, travel agencies, currency changers, estate agents, internet cafes, ticket offices, post offices etc) can now be done so much more efficiently online. The amount of retail space in our towns and cities is simply too high. Lowering rates isn't going to change the fact a lot of these bricks and mortar businesses are fundamentally unviable.
The ultimate solution is to start converting areas to a mix of uses with smaller retail footprints and more commercial, civic and residential space.
Intersting about the hospital. Back in the day the MRI was in Piccadilly. Brilliant video - thanks. I studied in Manchester in the late sixties and worked there till the mid seventies. Went back there a few years ago and was shocked when I arrived in Piccadilly Gardens. It was full of drug users wandering around in a trance and the amount of architectural vandalism was beyond belief. The Manchester planners have completely messed up. So sad.
In what way have 'planners' messed up? 'Architectural'.
You are right, it needs a priority rethink but much redevelopment in the city has been successful thank goodness.
Your presentation style is infectious. The down to earth attitude. And I am with you on avoiding the big shopping malls. Manchester would have to be one of the better big cities in the UK. Such a history. And such a life force. Looking forward to the new series. It will be interesting to see people making a product in England. And competing with all the foreign imports. I think I am right in saying , that at the height of the British empire. The UK produced something like 60% of the world's goods. China has never even got close to this. Manufacturing. New inventions. Product development. Britain was where it was at. Also, interestingly as you mentioned exploitation. During the big industrial era. British workers were largely exploited. The working class usually bear the brunt so others can prosper. These days we look at the low paid workers in China. Different location. Same deal. Governments should back enterprising business. But they don't. There is a big thing in Australia about buying Aussie. Hard to do. Not much made here anymore. The norm is now to advertise. Proudly Australian company since 1922. But the small print says made in China. Or Taiwan. I have even seen packaging with Proudly Australian written on it. And they didn't even spell Australian correctly. Sign of the times.
The British Empire was successful through the exploitation of brown and black people too mate.
@@Coco-uk9tv Most great empires were. And way before in time. Chinese. Roman. It would seem the only way to get rich and powerful. Is trample enough people. Must be why I'm broke and insignificant.
@@davetaylor4741 LOL
I’d love to open a sewing machine/crafting workshop where people who love making things can come and socialise
Please 🙏🙏🙏
Cant park your car + cost n hastle. Dont feel totally safe, drunks, druggies. Awful weather. A lot of walking.
Dreams don't always translate into good businesses especially considering the overheads.
Great idea.
Sure if you make rent /rates etc
That old library is now owned by university of Manchester. Very cool inside. Also interesting history as an independently wealthy woman (from cuba) built it for the people of Manchester in memory of her dead mill-owning husband. Was hoping you would go in affleck’s palace too as I haven’t been since the 1990’s and it’s quite a landmark!!! Thank you for pointing out the architecture, growing up in Bolton/Wigan/Manchester etc I always thought that was just how buildings were and never appreciated it as architecture until I moved away!!!
It's interesting that you mention The Road to Wigan Pier. I read that too a couple of years ago. Orwell stayed in my home town while researching for the book, and wrote about the situation you describe - fine new town hall completed in 1933, while the miners were in financial straits. 90 years on, little has changed!
Don't knock the civic buildings built in the 1930's, many were constructed to give work to otherwise unemployed artisans and builders, as a way of keeping skills alive and surely better than paying folk a pittance to do nothing ..... in much the same way that Germany built its Autobahns and America the Tennessee Valley Authority in the same period, as a way of providing both infrastructure and relief for the unemployed.
I think one of the other major issues is all of these shops will be owned by people who don't live in Manchester. It will be owned by places in London, tax heavens and other places abroad and therefore what they care about is their return on investment and because they will own hundreds possibly thousands of shops. They will have calculations that show they can have X amount of vacant units and still give their investors the right ROI. It ruins our town and city centres, espcially as they don't upkeep the property, but they don't care.
WHY LONDON ???
@@burtwallace5909 because it's were most REITS and finanical businesses are located in the UK.
Really looking forward to your "Made in Britain" series. I'd love for that to start a trend all over Europe, highlighting local business to inform customers how they can help their communities by buying local. ❤
Can you do a walking autopsy of Sheffield? It's gone the same way as Manchester. I'd like an eulogy to mourn the place I used to love living.
Looking forward to the Made in Britain series as well.
Just visited Manchester after about 15 years. Really really depressed me.
It was far worse 15 years ago
Thank you for this video. I'm a Manchester lad (and proud Lancashire lad too) born and bred, but I am ashamed at what this once great city has become. No identity, no pride and no future.
No identity no pride no culture - yep
My experience was of a city miles up its own arse without good justification.
And a city which has forgotten its roots@@halfbakedproductions7887
Wife and I would visit MCR shopping every so often. Park on Thompson Street £3 Saturday. Happy bald chap ran the Car Park like clockwork, top guy. That's gone, block of flats. We go to Trafford Centre these days, free parking. City centre full of drunks at weekend. Bar prices astronomical.
Depends. Nobody goes shopping any more, as Turnip’s videos highlight. Manchester is pretty good for restaurants and night life though
So many factors to the cause of the death of the high streets - online shopping, high rents & rates, no free parking, but also people's incomes haven't kept up and we've had austerity since 2008 - shrinking availble money in the economy whilst private compaines who own utilities & public transport hiking their profits.
There's been an increase in reocrd shops here in Hastings as its a small seaside town that loves its music.
As a manchester local and someone who runs a restaurant on Deangate, I've seen the decline. Most of it is down to the constant integration on one way systems that aren't necessary. They are trying to force public transport despite the fact public transport hardly works as it's supposed to.
Spot on. Use to park on Thompson St, £3 Saturday. It's gone, replaced by block of flats. Well done Mr Mayor your driving us to Trafford centre.
Yes, public transport was privitized & fragmented and not integrated. Big chunk out of peoples' wages who rely on it and don't drive. Just to get to work and back, and for night out. Yes, the one way system does freak out drivers, when I have been a passenger.
Then vote for people who can make public transport good.
@@sweetycamy 👍
@@sweetycamy that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Andy Burnham promised to make public transport "Frequent and affordable" and he's done nothing of the sort. Almost as if politicians lie all the time or something?
One of the only hopes I do have is, I have seen independent retails is on the increase, although that is because it was stamped out by the "clone town" national retailers, and now the national retailers are going bust or selling of premises often because of the whims of shareholders rather than footfall, espcially noticed that with banks. Independent businesses have more chance of doing well.
That's interesting. 20 or so years ago we heard a lot about 'clone towns'. Every high street would have it's Woolworths, Boots, WHSmiths, Debenhamns, Marks & Spencers, BHS etc. All those national chains that everybody knows. Now obviously some of those I mentioned have gone now and even M&S disappeared from my town earlier this year. If this helps the independents then that's good but they probably won't be large enought to take over the actual premises vacated by the big chains.
The problem with physical independent businesses is that they come and go so quickly. Like, one will pop up, then it'll be gone again within 6 months. It's such a hostile environment to be a small business owner in now. We're heading towards a future where everything is owned by Amazon.
Manchester! My favourite town. I used to live there from 2001 to 2005. It used to be so full of lovely shops. Lever Street used to be heaving with shops. I used to go to Abhakan Fabrics and Fred Aldous every week for my craft stock. Manchester Piccadilly used to be lovely with small, independent shops. Thank you Turnip for another great video! It definitely has changed!
Aldous is still around. They are the ones that paint and cover all the concrete blocks of peace in the Northern Quarter.
It feels completely different now to 2005, really went downhill to the point I left in 2017
I totally get your making of these videos as record vlogs. I often search for older videos and film of my town, trying see what it was like in the recent past. And I love your sense of the past and your love of old industrial buildings and the like. Your idea of a Made in Britain series sounds good too.👍
I love your videos, mate, don't change 👌
We share them into our boys groups and it's nice to see someone talking about all this. Refreshing, instead of pretending this isn't happening in England.
Hey nice one proper appreciate the support 👏👏
@wanderingturnip you deserve it dude 🍻
Bro my dad is a stone mason and makes letter carving commissions. I’m sure he’d love to have you interview him
I'd love to see if you could get in touch with people doing office to residential conversions and the difficulties, it's definitely something that should start changing the landscapes of cities
It really makes me sad when I see all these videos showing the decline and decay of this country. I remember in my teens in the late 90's and early 2000's when the city was full of independent shops and none of them were empty. Most of those have gone, even some really big names have gone, and there are so many empty buildings. It's only getting worse too. All that will be left are the supermarkets and the chains owned by global conglomerates.
It’s all a matter of perspective. If you go back a century and look at the UK in the 1920’s and 30’s things are far better today than they were back then. Society is never perfect, no matter how much we want it to be.
@@braxxian Yes, you are correct. We are better now than 100 years ago, but we are slipping so fast, there may come a point where we are worse than we were back then. We certainly are not better off now than we were 30-40, even 50 years ago.
I had a group of friends I used to meet up with in my local city back in 2015-16. Things weren't too bad back then. I even spent a few nights down in London in 2015 and it was okay. Me and the people I was with walked around the city centre at night and we didn't feel unsafe. In my opinion, things only started getting really bad after 2016. It's crazy how much cities have deteriorated in only a short amount of time.
@@braxxianI don’t believe that’s correct. Without regurgitating platitudes what specifically and evidently has improved?
There's a massive problem with wealth hoarde in this country which is leading to the decline, you've got thousands of people aged 60 & over sitting on £200k plus in the bank and not spending it within the local economy which in turn closes businesses and makes people redundant. You've then got the 18-40 age range who are having to work more to live and so they can't spend their money like they used to which again massively affects small businesses.
The other huge problem with small businesses at the moment is jealousy, for some reason this modern generation don't like to see individuals and families do well for themselves and will actively avoid shopping there, they'd rather line the pockets of billionaires than give back to the local economy.
I’ve lived in Manchester for years and noticed these changes gradually. Thank you for the excellent work and keep it up 👊🏼👏🏼
A Made in Britain series sounds great and focussing on the positive and not just the sad state of our cities (not just empty shops, but knocking down all the heritage to build those empty buildings)
I think one of the other important factor is wages, a recent study showed Britiains earn £10,500 less than French workers. Wage stagnation, coupled with rising inequality is another reason people just can't go out to support these businesses as you said with the christmas market it is so busy, because people will have that as a treat. Imagine if you had £10,500 extra every single year (obviously minus taxes, etc.) You would spend more in the town, more people would be able to afford to open up shops. You could eat out, drink out more. You may take more holdiays and some would be in the UK. And the fact you are earning more would mean more goes to taxes that can pay for better services and investment on the high street.
And our state pensions are the LOWEST in Europe. - The second lowest pension is the Netherlands, and theirs is DOUBLE ours !!!
Wow. Thanks for that info. Where did you see the study?
@@hayfield11 They were talking about it on GB News a few days ago.
@@hayfield11 resolution foundation
In Germany the state pension is THREE TIMES ours.
I normally like your videos, but after what you said about fashion, channel and why you do these videos, i absolutely love them and respect you❤
Hey thanks for watching 😀😀
Another fascinating video, love the way you show the buildings and their usage back through the decades. How mad is that store still with goods in the window!!!! Look forward to your new series too. Have a very Happy Christmas and all the best for 2024 😊
I haven’t been to Manchester for a few years, and you could already see it starting to get like this.
Great video again mate, love the google street view images feature too. Really shows you how things have changed.
Thee shouldn’t be that many retail units up for rent on such busy roads.
Spot on with wanting to remember how things looked too, I wish I had managed to record some video of Nottingham in the earlier 2000’s but I didn’t.
Manchester used to have a number of buildings with retail units like afflecks palace, the coliseum etc. the real tell tale is going out into the surrounding areas like Rusholme, levenshulme, longsight, gorton, moston, collyhurst etc. some have their mini centres. Then there is Salford not Salford Quays.
Liverpool and the wirral has suffered a bit also Birkenhead has taken a bit of a hit
Really enjoy your work, the extent of the urban decay that you have covered has been genuinely eye opening. I wonder if you had thought about trying to get a response from the local MP or councils, it would be interesting to hear their take on what they’ve tried to do to sort issues out? Finally would you mind showing what equipment you use to do your vlogs. Thanks for what you are doing it’s a really important public service 😊
Agree - these videos are real evidence of the destruction of life as we knew it. No one seems to care! We need everyone to get on this & write to their Mp,s for a start. Not that they do much. It’s a bit of a no win.
It's a hard issue to sort. It needs not only a change in legislation (e.g. reform of business rates or tax online shopping agressively) but needs a change in consumer habits. I'm sad at the death of the high street but I am as guilty as anyone of buying something on amazon as I know what I want will be there and will arrive the next day rather than wandering round the High Street looking for it
@@tommypip I understand the changes in consumer habits, but what I don’t understand is how politicians and local authorities have allowed the urban decay to become the norm. A constant theme seems to be the dirt, rubbish and filth is not cleaned up. I’ve been watching a few RUclips channels that chronicle what’s taking place. Buildings are allowed to crumble and decay and nobody is held responsible or taken to task? Yet those trying to survive around them are forced to endure this or relocate making it worse. Those in positions of responsibility no longer seem to care but continue to be paid at public expense on large salaries. It’s just not working for anyone.
So well made & researched. Hats off to you. Love your content 😊
A really interesting documentary! Thanks so much for compiling this!
Used to live in Manchester in the 80s till the end of the 90s. Used to be that the centre was dead after 5pm. Now it's heaving. The shops might be shutting down, but the mills are being converted into residences and new high rise flats being built. So the high street in Manchester is going back to residential and offices but the high street shops are going online or out of town.
Manchester used to have these multi-storey buildings crammed to the top floor with independent retailers. Half the time you wouldn't realise when you passed form 1 shop into the other. It was such a fascinating experience... like the old inshops but across many floors, in 1 out to the other, it was crazy! Do these not still exist in any form???
Has it shut ??? Used to drive up from london...hacienda and bit of shopping.!!!
@@jdgamingdealsAffleck's palace is where the cool kids went
Afflecks palace is still alive and doing well. I went recently and it is still crammed with independent shops on every floor
The Corn Exchange, years ago. Shopping centre now. Affleck's Palace. Got some togs there for playing out & bopping in the Hacienda, The Boardwalk. Pear Mill in Stockport doing that sort of thing.
Afflecks palace is still there mostly but the traders do change. It even opens on a Sunday now. 😊
Loved this video, we need positivity when it comes to these things. Ideas around how to make things better, not just focusing on what's wrong but also talking about what is good and what could be done, otherwise it would be depressing and that's it. Looking forward to your Made in Britain series as well.
I am endlessly fascinated with your term "high street"...in the States we call it "main street." And in many, many towns and cities over here, it's not much better, for many of the same reasons you've described in this video and the others I've been watching. Great work!!
Just love watching these uploads from New Zealand. You have inspired me to watch some from New Zealand about abandoned towns. We so do not see what the real UK is like until we watch your vids .I will watch and sub to Made in Britian. We have so many inspiring people here with small businesses and I always shop local, do not go the the mega stores and malls.
*Congratulations. 70K. Subscribers.* Watching now
Thank you so much 😀
It’s great that you are capturing snapshots of our towns and cities. I hope your channel goes from strength to strength and you return to them in time to compare.
You're making great content, cool to see you doing the Google street view. I really like that feature and hope you use it in future for other towns
Made in Britain series will be great! Showcasing local made goods helps small business owners! Thanks David!
Low interest rates helped cause a massive expansion of certain stores - eg. Maplin, Ryness, Patisserie Valerie, etc. from what had been very few niche stores which tried to be on every high street. Far too many, when rates rose or trading conditions got tough, and they collapsed. Upward-only (too high anyway) rent reviews on commercial premises simply don't reflect the sheer impossibility of running a normal business under such conditions. And then there are too-high business rates. No wonder it's all empty...
Fascinating perspective. Thoroughly enjoyed the whole story.
I love your enthusiasm. I wish your channel every success.
Greetings from Everett, Washington, USA. Thanks for showing how the situation is in England.
Keep up with this type of content, especially your enthusiasm and passion over what is happening to our cities and towns. Some content makes put on an act with their videos but you really come across as genuine with your travels. Looking forward to a series or a one off video over record shops (I’m that old). I can imagine when Fred Dibnah was alive you and him would’ve made a perfect interview video.
SO EXCITED to see a Made in Britain series! I think that's absolutely perfect and so fitting for this channel.
Brexit has played a huge part in the UK's decline. I doubt we will ever recover. When London and Manchester are struggling, I dread to think what other parts of the country are like.
Lovely to see you in my home city! Ancoats is weird like it used to be a post industrial wasteland and now there’s loads of new modern blocks but you don’t really go into ancoats to look around you’d go there for a specific place. Spot on with Piccadilly gardens too, used to be lovely when I was a child with the public fountains but now it’s cramped and congested
Yeah the Victorian sunken garden was so clever, when you sat in there its was like an oasis from the hustle and bustle. Its was said it was a troublesome because a few homeless people hung out there. Now its gone, there are a lot more homeless people and it is grey, flat pigeon zoo. 🙄
Interesting idea about the hospitals, there is a channel 4 doc recently about the ambulance service struggles, using those spaces for medical and community infrastructure would potentially be a huge opportunity to solve some of the other society issues
in taiwan we have walk in clinics nearby in most places. that deals with most of the minor issues. then the hospitals charge £15 or so in emergency. i can see a doctor in either within 10-15 min
Spent a week in Manchester in 2019 and 2022. Its my spirtual "home" in the UK. I noticed a big difference in from 2019 to 2022.....empty spaces, post plandemic, and your video shows even more problems on the high streets there. Though I do see Manchester at least "thinking" of news ways for the urban core but challenges of course. Make sure you go to "Northern Soul Grilled Cheese" great grilled cheese, sides and the best of Northern Soul playing loud! I am from California, USA.
brilliant video with a great old vs new perspective and great knowledge of the area and what's going on
When they need to put up a sign, ”Don’t poo here”, the place probably needs saving.
Or *beyond* saving.....
Manchester experience started to die after 2009 ISH. Back then you could drive find some free parking and just go to a bar, cafe , club or shopping. After 5 pm you could park for free and it was a buzz like no other place. But after 2009-10 everything opened and closed straight away, apart from some success like Rev of cuba. Then they started closing roads, pedestrianising or cycles and bus only road. Slowly things simply changed. Back then you could cruise along deansgate and got to Spinninfield , castlefield, etc. I lived near the lakes amd started driving to Manchester in 2004... And man.... It was the future. I moved to Manchester in 2007-8.... Then I've seen the changes. Not only in the city centre but all over...
I use to park for free Ancoats, Mothercare, Argus.
Great video, mate. I think the main problem for Manchester is that it’s a major university city with 100,000 students, none of whom pay council tax. The retail should reflect this. As students are renters, they’re not going to be in the market for a new sofa are they? Goods and services that are needed in Manchester could be hairdressers/barbers, trainer cleaners/repairers & key cutters, tech repairs shops, general repair shops, record shops, bike shops, gyms, yoga studios, small NHS centres (for routine checks), smaller cinemas showing local & classic films, smaller entertainment venues (comedy/rock/theatre) as well as bars, cafes, restaurants. Landlords in the UK in general need to get real about rents & aim for occupancy, more curated use of properties so services are in one area & look appealing & less generic, more flexible multi use properties eg a bar with live entertainment. Mancunians should ignore Andy Burnham’s Walter Mitty daydreams of turning Manchester into a mini London. FFS Why? Has he been to London recently? Manchester should celebrate its uniqueness, its vibe, its culture & its beautiful architecture & the Mayor should be a global ambassador for tourism to Manchester, particularly after the opening of Factory International.
They should put you in charge. Sensible solutions without all the moaning.
As a Southerner, I meant every word. Manchester has a lot to offer on its own. It doesn’t need London. It does need a tech hub centre & then it would be in real business.@@gardengeek3041
Too late, it's already turned into a copy of London with the same problems
I for one I'm really happy that you have highlighted the plight of high Streets across the UK. Used to live in acton was happy you showed it on your channel. I moved to Brussels many years ago. It's sad how things have changed in London not for the better sadly. You keep it real .love watching your videos authentic and very interesting. Keep up the good work 👏
I appreciate your videos- think you’re doing a fantastic job showing us different UK cities that’ll be valuable to look back on in future
Thanks for your enthusiasm in bringing videos to people x
Your videos are such a great insight man, really appreciate you making these!
Thank you for your brilliant work … looking forward to your new series 😊
Love the channel. You were made to present this kind of content, keep it coming.
Made in Britain series sounds great! Hopefully will bring some customers to those businesses
Made in Britain = As always shoddy workmanship and poor quality
As always, love watching your videos 👍🏽
Thank you for sharing this situation,.. it's very similar here in our cities and towns in Australia, especially after COVID. Love your channel, keep up the good work 👍😁 take care. Debbi from Western Australia.
Great vid Mr WT,Ty 🎉, I am sharing this to my daugter in Perth Oz, she lived in Salford after Uni then moved over the pond 20 years ago, she loved Manchester, I think she will be shocked. It is sad,my local little town has suffered, high rates dont help plus Covid and on line shopping.! which we had no choice. Government were vey cruel ! Alot of folk found it easy to shop so perhaps carried on,I am one of them.
Another well researched and presented video, great stuff.
Before I watch.. *big congrats on 70K subscribers!* 🥂🥳 It's been a great pleasure watching this exceptional channel grow.. 👏👍
Another great vid. You should do Nottingham next, look into the scandal surrounding Broadmarsh shopping centre and the council announcing that they're broke.
I hit that sub as i love the fact you dont talk down about citys and towns and you appreciate the architecture. Great vids.
I appreciate that! I do always try to be as balanced as I can 👍👍
Looking forward to your new series coming 👍 good on you - it’ll be interesting to see what’s still made in Britain
Found your channel recently and find it super interesting as a northerner myself. Would love to see you cover Leeds where I’m from as we recently got a big revamp of the centre. Liverpool when I lived there a decade ago also seemed like it was doing well but I’d be interested to see if now it’s taken a turn the way these other cities have.
Keep up the good work though, the more positive stuff sounds good too, since especially up here we have tonnes of people doing all sorts of craft works
Thank for your post. It’s always fascinating to see how things are carrying on throughout the world especially post pandemic. Keep them coming. 👌🏽🙌🏽
Was in Manchester (from the US) around 2014. Absolutely loved it. It may be because I so admire and appreciate hardworking cities (I grew up largely south side of Chicago)--but it was my favorite city of the trip. I do so hope it's coming back. It deserves it.
And! Very much looking forward to your new series! Thank you for all the insight, the information--
My first time in Manchester - the gf and I had concert tickets and so we started looking for a place to stay. Spotted Piccadilly Gardens on the map and thought 'ooh, sounds fancy' so we booked a hotel just around the corner. Let's say it subverted our expectations :D
There's huge plans in place to improve Piccadilly gardens. The plans look exciting. Check back in a few years and I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Your poor gf, maybe her next bf will have more money to spend on nicer hotels
I always enjoy your output. I too think Manchester is a great place to visit. I am planning to go there next year. I too have been to Trafford Centre and I got lost trying to find the tram stop afterwards. I eventually found it thank God! I have been to Manchester several times since 2013 and how it has changed in its centre. Thanks for your work. Regards RC
Fascinating, really enjoyed seeing this!
Probably not your cup of tea but the Yorkshire soap company might be worth looking into your new series! Handmade cute soaps made and sold in Yorkshire
Also your reaction to selfridges was brilliant 😂 loving the videos can't wait to see more!
Hiya. Christmas markets. Look nice. Expensive generally.
Love the before and after.
Death off every high street. Seeing how things have changed. Shows how bad it is.
Interesting hearing from an ex-resident.
Seeing how everywhere how many pubs have closed. Very sad.
I am looking forward to the new series. I love your enthusiasm.
Wow. They shattered. I never knew that.
Love the Mill chimney.
98% is shocking.
Thanks for sharing.
Liked. Shared. 100K Soon. Great channel.
£37000 biz rates on a street with no footfall plus rent, electric, staff et al. wow. impossible.
Nuts innit!
Add that to gouging landlords and running a business is near impossible.
Yea they think customers use gold leaves to wipe their bums
I was there as a student during the school years between 2011 and 2016. Recently saw some other videos of the city and seemed to be doing alright unlike some other places I have seen in the UK. But looking at this video it is sad to see these stores closed down on the main street where I have walked on hundreds of times.
Outstanding video again, long live this channel!
a scraping of business rates would instantly drop the price of owning a shop by 15% - 20%+. Not just that the town centre Business rates are higher than out of the town centre businesses. Meaning that businesses like Amazon pay less per square foot even though they are doing a lot more business. For example a department store in my home town that sadly closed was paying inflation adjusted the same amount in business rates a year as an amazon distribution centre in the same town that was for the entire region, that is about 6 million people. Whereas the department store was only used by people in the town so around 280,000 population.
It’s the old saying, ‘fur coat no ….’ Like a wild western town the glossy buildings turn out to be a facade with little more than a shed behind. Manchester is so authentic that it’s bringing back its city slums. Years ago I was never out of the place, day and night. As kids my mother used to dress us up, just to go shopping on Market Street and Oldham St. My first big adventure was to wander down from my grandparent’s shop , and walk down Tib Street , excited by the pet stores . I now pick and choose when I go in , what I go for and how long I stay.
That sounds like London! You could walk about with a wicket basket, and flowers in your hair as you visited the many farmers market on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Now we are suffocated by Tesco Express 🙄
Was interesting what the former boat Ancoates resident said about the council moved residents out in bulk to other parts of the UK. Because when people ask Manchester council why there are suddenly council tennants moved to other places like Cornwall and Manchester council always deny they do this. 😏 Basically a load of rough families get shoved into a new build housing association development instead of the Cornish locals getting to live there. Well well well. It happened whete i am once in a small conversation into flats but they were for ex London key workers. We thought it odd at the time. Bulk transfers.
Piccadilly gardens has gone really rough now between the druggies and "asylum seeker" groups of men that hang around there. I avoid it now.
Excellent technique of showing shots from previous years compared to 2023. On line shopping (and employment) are definitely making a lot of retail and office space less compelling.