Has the recession passed Bognor by?
Walk down most high streets and you will be hard pressed to find many that have not been severely impacted by the ravages of the current crunching of our credit.
Vacated shops, closing down signs, empty streets are common throughout the country. Yet in good old Bognor Regis, in spite of all the general doom and gloom, we have not fared too bad.
Yes, Woolworths departed, as did Mothercare, but they were a symptom of the national malaise. True, I cannot give any hard and fast statistics to back up my point of view. All I can give is the benefit of my own experience, talking every day to many businesses in and around the town.
Locally, our chains seem to be doing quite well, and most of our small and local independent retailers are fighting hard to keep on providing their services to the people of Bognor Regis.
We even have Wilkinsons now coming to join us in the old Woolies’ premises, and we all know how hard the likes of Asda and Sainsbury’s have been battling to try to get into the town.
Maybe I do err too much on the side of optimism, but so what? I love the attitude of those in Bognor. Almost a siege mentality seems to take over at times. Us against the rest!
Us means all of us, and we can all do our little bit by trying to buy from our brave local retailers.
Keep off the A259, and buy from yours and mine!
Do you have any good news stories, about Bognor Regis? If so, add your say below.
