Hark set to fight council over Asda
Wednesday 1st April 2009, 3:15PM BST.
The owner of Telford Shopping Centre today declared war on Telford & Wrekin Council over the controversial deal in which Asda could move to the civic offices site.
Rob Cossey, director of Hark Apollo, accused council bosses of undermining the future of the centre and its 2,500 workers.
And he threatened to fight the council all the way when the Asda scheme goes through the planning process.
Telford’s “store wars” began when the council put up for sale its ageing civic offices just across the road from the shopping centre.
Hark Apollo, which bought the centre for more than £400 million in 2007, had unveiled a £1.2 billion redevelopment scheme called The Round, which would have featured a big new Asda store as a flagship.
But its dreams were shattered this month when it was revealed that Asda had made an undisclosed successful offer, through a sealed bid, to buy the civic offices and bulldoze them for a new supermarket.
Asda is now set to be the subject of a legal tug of war between the council and Hark Apollo to keep the retail giant on its own land.
Mr Cossey said: “I find the council’s actions breathtaking. Some would call it economic sabotage.
“We will oppose this by all means available to us and with the utmost vigour.”
And he warned the legal wrangle was bound to delay both Hark Apollo’s and the council’s schemes to create a thriving 21st century town centre for Telford.
He added: “We have started to deliver – including Primark, a primary care centre, a nightclub, restaurant and bar. It’s not helpful to have a council which ign-ores all that, doesn’t engage us in a rational way and goes on to undermine us.”
Councillor Andrew Eade, leader of the Conservative-controlled council, said the deal followed the law to the letter in ensuring the best value for money for taxpayers and he was disappointed Hark Apollo’s actions would delay the regeneration.
“We will continue to work with anyone who wants to support our vision for Telford town centre.”
By Peter Johnson
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So if Asda leave the town centre then 2500 jobs will be lost???? I think this man needs to revise his figures.
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What utter poppycock! On the few occasions that I have been to Town Centre during the last 5 years I didn’t once enter Asda. I fail to see why moving the store would affect visitors to the Centre, if Apollo want more customers they should consider getting shot of their parking fees. That is the main reason so many people avoid going up there, not for any shop in particular. I will continue to boycott TC myself, soley because I refuse to pay to park there! Perhaps more people should consider doing the same to get the message across.
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Nothing to do with jobs being lost. More like they are concerned with rent being lost when Asda move out of the town centre and that unit becomes empty.
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He has tried to milk the TC for too much and shoppers and companies are sick of it, well done Asda for thinking of your customers, if only Apollo could do the same.
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ASDA or HARK, put it to the vote, let the people decide. We havent used the town center since the parking charges.
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Rob Cossey need his head examining, Jobs will be lost because Asda could be moving right across the road from the Town Centre. We don’t all go to the Town centre just to shop at Asda.
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ej is right about the rent, Asda have one of there largest stores and I dont think Tesco will be rushing for the asda plot when it becomes vacant as Tesco are getting a new store in Madely, the town centre hasnt got much to offer now anyway, the only shops I go in is the poundshop, asda and properly mcdonalds and the game stores, the market has got really rubbish, and there are better stores on the retail parks without parking charges.
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It sounds to me like the TC management will just use it as an excuse to put parking charges up even more (until the TC fianlly closes)
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So Hark are happy for ASDA to stay and lose money?
Hark are a business themselves aren’t they?
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As been mentioned before, the real reason is down to parking charges ( and the worry that they will lose customers ). I like many don’t bother with the town centre i use the retail parks and Asda Donnington, always seems busy there – i wonder why?
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The trouble started for the town centre when they introduced & failed to drop parking charges – the longer you stay you more you pay – so there is no real wish to browse lazily in the book shops / mobile phone shops / cafes / Asda etc & so no real wish to visit the town centre any more when there is fabulous shopping & free parking in Wellington & the local centres Oakengates, Donnington, Newport etc. Plus superstore shopping at Asda in Donnington Wood & similarly Tescos & Sainsburys – again all with free parking.
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You can hardly blame ASDA for wanting to move out – they were always against the parking charges, their competitors don’t have parking charges, and they have the option of going elsewhere – so of course they will.
If Hark Apollo and their predecessors hadn’t been so greedy in the past, we might have a better range of shops in the town centre,
and be less at risk of losing more big names. You reap what you sow…
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WELL WELL WELL
ITS ABOUT TIME SOMEONE SHOWED THE SHOPPING CENTRE THAT THE PEOPLE OF TELFORD ARE SO FEDUP WITH THERE POOR SERVICE.
THE BIGGEST PROBLEM THE CAR PARK , LIKE TODAY WEDNESDAY THE GATES LETTING PEOPLE INTO THE CAR PARK AND OUT OF THE CAR PARK NOT WORKING AGAIN , WE PAY ALL THIS MONEY IN CHARGES AND STILL THEY CANT GET THE GATES TO WORK RIGHT, POOR CUSTOMER SERVICE . I VOTE FOR ASDA TO PULL OUT AND THE PEOPLE OF TELFORD TO STOP USING THE SHOPPING CENTRE AS I HAVE ALREADY DONE BECUASE ALL THEY WONT IS MORE MONEY, THAT WHAT ALL THIS WORLD IS ABOUT MONEY , MONEY , MONEY .
THEY KNOW IF ASDA PULL OUT IT WILL STREW THEM RIGHT UP, AND I CANT WAIT WHEN SOMEONE SHOWS THAT SHOPPING CENTRE THAT IS TIME THEY THINK ABOUT THERE CUSTOMERS , THATS WHY THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE SHOPPING IN THE SHOPPING CENTRE IS DROPPING.
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I HOPE SHROPSHIRE STAR SET UP AN ONLINE PROGRAM ASKING THE MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC LIVING IN TELFORD TO HAVE THERE SAY WHAT THEY THINK OF ASDA PULLING OUT AND WHAT PEOPLE THINK OF THE SHOPPING CENTRE POOR SERVICE WITH REGARDS TO THE PROBLEMS WITH THE GATES ON THE CAR PARK .
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No one is forcing people to shop at the town centre so what is the issue?
If Asda leave the Town Centre just ask Morrisons or Waitrose to move in with the perk of free rent for 5 years, this is what any keen businessman would do to ensure the town centre survives rather than a media fight with T & W and Asda
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as i have said on the letter:asda to move artical
i and many people i know drive past asda tc to go to tesco or asda donnington and only go to the town centre if i have to for a reason which is very rarely due to the parking charges .
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A bit of competition HARK? don’t like it do you?
You may need to review your rental charges now. Why else would ASDA move.
Hope others follow shortly.
Take your investment back to the USA because you have no real interest in Telford other than to make money
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What a sorry state. Hark get your priorities right. Customer equals income so stop putting obsticles in the way of retailers who want to provide free parking to their customers, I for one welcome the news that ASDA are moving. Stop wasting everyone’s time and money, with every household looking to tighten their belts is it such a surprise that people are choosing not to shop where they have to pay to park? We as a family haven’t shopped at the TC since parking charges were introduced, and guess what… we dont miss it one bit.
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Let us hope the council clowns don’t waste too much of our money on this one.
If our dear council had anything about them they would use the information they are currently collecting via the cameras situated around the town centre ring road to prove that the parking barriers are causing congestion and danger on the roads – they could then order Hark to remove them and change the parking to pay and display – which would be a lot less profitable for Hark.
Come on council muppets – stand up for the people of Telford while you are still in office!!
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Whilst I do like the idea of The Round I don’t like that the shopping centre has an effective monopoly over Telfords town centre and I support Asda’s move provided they aren’t planning just a supermarket and it is part of a wider mixed use development.
I wouldn’t get your hopes up too much that there will be free parking though, its not generally acceptable in town centres these days. Maybe any parking provided would be a little cheaper though.
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Come on Star.. give your readers a clear voice, lets have a public vote
Do you support the parking charges or not
Do you support ASDA’s move or not
Time we sent a clear message..
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21 Jagon Morely.
What on earth makes you think an American Investment company cares one iota what you or the rest of Telford think?
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good for them ,down with the council, less labour beaurocrats doing none jobs and less eu rules, we want freedom, we dont need councils we need more private enterprises doing their services instead
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Hark are out to preserve themselves at all costs. They’ll keep hiking up parking charges etc. But don’t worry, we’ve got sky scrapers to look forward too.
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22 English excile said: What on earth makes you think an American Investment company cares one iota what you or the rest of Telford think?
Well, the fact that it’s an investment company makes me think they’d want a return on the investment. Best ensure that shops stay and they can only do that if shoppers come. The land value is great in itself, but with the additional rental income and the even higher rent that they can charge if the centre is full of spending shoppers, that is where it makes it a realtively lucrative investment. Thats what makes me think they will be interested. The problem is too many people whine but it doesn’t change their behaviour – shoppers still shop there and that means a lack of credibility for those trying to make their point.
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oh dear Tory boy, Telford council is run by tories, own goal there.
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Well not all is lost – I assume that Carrefour are still there?
Haven’t been to TC for a while – only go to Poundland for X-mas shopping once a year, but I park over by Halfords and walk across. Saves on a gym membership.
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With the 2500 houses and high rise “slums”…sorry apartments….planned, I don’t think I will want to go anywhere near the place soon. Is it true that they are going to fill in the lake to build over it? Surely they couldn’t (wouldn’t) do that?….or would they????
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I heard that they are going to executive homes over the lake with the ‘underground lake’ being a tourist attraction to rival the Blue John Caverns.
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