Businesses in St Mark’s Place, Clinton Arms Court and the Saracen’s Head Yard talk about the loss of profit since the closure on Wilko’s

Business owners claim their profits have plunged by nearly 50 per cent since the closure of high street retailer Wilko.

Previously located in St Marks Place in Newark, the homeware retailer has had the shutters down since September 27.

The chain, which created a large footfall in the area, strongly impacted the businesses around, from hospitality and retail to services.

Business owners and employees who have felt the impact of this sudden change are putting their heads together to find solutions for how to save their businesses and prevent more town shop closures.

Paula Chamberlain, from PJ’s American Diner, said: “I have spoken to everybody in Clinton Arms Court and we have all lost trade and it is not a little, it is a lot.

“We have lost 50% of our trade easily. The footfall that used to go into Wilkos is not there anymore.

“They are going outside to the businesses in the retail park. There is nothing in the centre of Newark to attract people so they are not coming in.

“That’s the reason more people would come in, they would come to town, come here, have some breakfast or some lunch.

“The council could help a little bit more with rent because the rent in Newark is extortionate and we are not getting the profit but the rents are really high.

“Maybe they could bring something that would attract people to this side of town because why have hundreds and hundreds of cafes and restaurants if no one is going to use them?”

An employee at the photography shop Max Spielman, Sibel Shukri said: “We usually have about 60 to 70 customers and before we used to make £700 to £800 a day, we haven’t seen that since Wilko closed.

“People used to park in the NCP car park, go to Wilko and walk on this side of town but this doesn’t help us at the minute.”

Marie and David Wilson, owners of Teapot on Saracen’s Head Yard, also felt a loss of about 50% in their business.

They said that their regular customers remain loyal but that the loss of profit is becoming scary.

They claimed the solution to revive the businesses would be to bring something to the area to attract people into the town centre, be it businesses or events, or a reduction on shop rent to attract more retailers.

The recent closure of the historic butcher’s G.H. Porters in Market Place provided Richard’s Quality Meats with another flow of customers, which balanced the reduction of footfall in Clinton Arms Court.

“The footfall has gone down terribly around here. It doesn’t matter what the council says, the footfall is down,” said Richard Bunting, owner of Richard’s Quality Meats.

He added: “We are only strong as a town centre and we are very lucky to have good loyal customers.

“We need people in the empty units but it is not as easy as that. It has nothing to do with landlords or the council, individual companies just don’t want to come here, but it is not just Newark it is every town centre unfortunately.”

Fiona White, owner of The White Dress Agency said: “Since the closure of Wilko, footfall in Newark has decreased significantly, combined with the NCP car park undergoing work and the economic situation, it has certainly had an impact on sales.

“With only Boots remaining in the town centre and the retail park offering the larger stores, Newark is becoming a shadow of its former self.”

An employee at the E-Cig & CBD Store added: “We are not getting as many customers coming this way at all.

“There is no stuff for people around here. It is just the market that is the busiest and not even the market is busy.

“We have a lot of competition with other vape shops, we don’t need that many in the town and we need the customers in, especially with Wilko going which is slightly concerning.”

Newark and Sherwood District Council have released data on the footfall in Newark town centre, comparing September 2022 with September this year.

According to their data, last year there was a footfall of 115,554 whilst this year it has gone down to 102,866.

Councillor Paul Peacock, leader of Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: “The loss of Wilko in our town centre is a great shame and it’s one shared by many other towns and cities across the country who are in similar positions. While we do not own the site, we are in discussion with the owner of St Marks, and we are being proactive in understanding what interest there is in the building and will work with the owner to seek to attract new opportunities for the area.”

He called on shoppers to visit the town centre regularly, saying it had “amazing independent shops that make the town unique”.

He added: “While data from footfall sensors show a slight decrease in the number of visitors to the town centre compared to the same period last year, any reported spend decrease in individual shops must in part be impacted by the cost-of-living crisis facing us nationally.

“While we’re doing all we can to support residents with the rising cost-of-living, it is increasingly difficult for us all to spend as we may like to.”

He said the council had launched measures to support businesses, including the Business Support Hub which provides marketing advice every Tuesday from Inspire Buttermarket in Newark, as well as helping with grants, providing data and running frequent Shop Local campaigns, as well as a discretionary rate relief on business premises. He said half of Newark’s businesses meet the criteria for rate relief.

Mr Peacock said the council was working on a Christmas campaign, including providing free car parking at weekends from Sunday, November 26 until Sunday, December 31.