This is the state of the town centre on a mild Thursday at the end of 2011.
(Press on image for a bigger pdf version. Not a brilliant map and not to scale but it serves this yearly purpose.)
Key:
Green is a shop that was vacant at the start of the year which is now occupied.
Yellow means a change of ownership.
Red is a vacant shop premises that was occupied at the start of the year.
Change in 2007 ( 6 green, 5 yellow, 10 red ) – Net Loss 4
Change in 2008 ( 10 green, 8 yellow, 13 red ) – Net Loss 3
Change in 2009 ( 9 green, 6 yellow, 6 red ) – Net Gain 3
Change in 2010 ( 9 green, 6 yellow, 5 red ) – Net Gain 3
Change in 2011 ( 2 green, 8 yellow, 5 red ) – Net Loss 3
In 2011, there was the closure of Stroll In and the 90p shop who probably found competition with Poundland difficult. Thorntons also closed as part of a national rationalisation.
We said goodbye to Camino replaced by Bath Street Bistro, Salinas was replaced by the Lemon Grove, and Daddy’s Cafe was replaced by Zabb Thai.
Bucknell and Ballard were taken over by Davis Tate, and Abingdon Letting became Oxfordshire Estates.
Acreedo Tattoes moved from Ock Street to High Street. West End News moved and was renamed as Abingdon News Plus to make way for the imminent redevelopment of the Abbey Shopping Centre. And Property Weekly moved out of town soon after the launch of the Oxfordshire Guardian .
Azuri accesories closed. The Plough closed for a while then reopened refurbished as the Harp. And Newton Alexander closed for a while and was replaced by Utopia Boutique.
(I have not included the addition of the Christmas Shop as I assume it is temporary but have included Calendar Club which is more likely to carry on longer.)
