Four businesses have closed in West Didsbury in the space of just one month
"Sometimes, I don't sleep at night", Victor Calo admits as he clutches on to a cup of coffee. The General Manager of Mercado, on Burton Road, he explains how the once bustling café and deli has seen its footfall plummet - with no sign of when things could pick up.
"People are trying to save money - last year was difficult but it's getting worse. I love Didsbury, I love the culture and the neighbourhood, but look around... it's like a ghost town." "The businesses are saving labour costs - they're closing front and back of house and having to do the maths on how to survive by closing and cutting hours," he added. "But what you create is this ghost town. People who used to want to come here for lunch can now only come in evenings, it's a constant spiral. It only comes alive now three days a week. Footfall is declining and we have a crossroads now where the only way is down. You cannot survive just opening on weekends.
Nearby luxury homeware store Moth also announced its closure after 17 years on the West Didsbury high street just last month. The home and lifestyle store, which had been a staple in the neighbourhood since 2006, moved all its products online, with the company’s founder Hazel Marchant saying the business would be taking a ‘new path’ in an emotional social media post. Boards are now advertising for an opticians to open its place.
Burton Road has also recently seen its chippy close, as has takeaway The Canadian Charcoal Pit. The latest closures follow the news that Didsbury institution Greens - owned by TV chef Simon Rimmer - suddenly closed on January 2. The team behind the much-loved vegetarian restaurant, that was open for 33 years, said they could "no longer make it work" after their landlord increased rent by 35 per cent, and rising costs making trading "impossible".
She told the M.E.N: "Over the last year we’ve definitely noticed a downturn in trade, there’s not as many people coming out and people aren’t spending as much as they used to. For us, rent, wages, and the cost of our ingredients have all gone up, so a break in VAT would be a massive help. When the government dropped it during Covid it really helped keep our business afloat, so that would be one thing we would really appreciate.
“While the pandemic wasn’t the start of high streets’ troubles, and the hospitality sector which largely sits within it, but we can certainly look back on it as a significant moment in time. Footfall dried up overnight, lasted for months, and has never returned to pre-pandemic levels.
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