(13 Jun 2020, 10:29 am)Ianthegoon wrote At the MetroCentre, I've always found the best thing to do is to leave again - there's a multitude of different buses heading off in various directions to use!

There's also some loos just over the bridge, really useful when out for the day.

I'm told there's also some shops somewhere, but I've never felt the need to go that far in .....

Well yes, it is a very spacious bus station, so effective as an interchange.

(13 Jun 2020, 1:10 pm)Charles41 wrote Last time I had a good look around the Metrocentre was at last year's rally. Got some good bargains in The Back Page. All of the small traders seem to have gone now. At one time there were interesting specialist shops. Now it's just the usual big stores and restaurants. The Wetherspoons is handy mind.

Charles

I've never liked the spoons in the Metrocentre, far too expensive for my liking! The only thing worth getting is the coffee, but then I'd rather go to IKEA and get it for free!

I can't remember the last time I ate at a proper restaurant there (obviously I've been to McDonalds and KFC), I think the last time probably would have been when Big Lukes was upstairs! It's all just overpriced burger, chicken and pizza chains, nothing worth going out for! Then again, I'm the sort of person that prefers to cook my own food anyway

Like I said, the only time I go out of my way to go to the Metrocentre is when things I want are out of stock elsewhere. Or, since I have friends that work there, I might have a walk around before meeting them

at least Primark is safe..... the amount of people waiting to go in and NOT observing 2m rule.... well you can guess the rest

Street wardens fighting a loosing battle trying to get people to walk in the right direction on Northumberland Street this afternoon.

Charles

Got straight into ikea today without having to really queue (by the time we got in the small queue they were letting people in).


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(13 Jun 2020, 10:29 am)Ianthegoon wrote At the MetroCentre, I've always found the best thing to do is to leave again - there's a multitude of different buses heading off in various directions to use!

There's also some loos just over the bridge, really useful when out for the day.

I'm told there's also some shops somewhere, but I've never felt the need to go that far in .....

Are the loos even open? The lack of facilities, meaning I can neither empty my bladder nor wash my hands like I'm supposed to is a bit of a bugbear at the moment.

That's what annoys me about councils closing public conveniences during the pandemic. People still need to use the loo Covid 19 or not. Then you get councilors on the news complaining about people relieving themselves in the street. What do they expect.

Charles

(15 Jun 2020, 10:59 pm)BusLoverMum wrote Are the loos even open? The lack of facilities, meaning I can neither empty my bladder nor wash my hands like I'm supposed to is a bit of a bugbear at the moment.

Yes, but only certain ones, more info on the intu website.

(16 Jun 2020, 12:19 pm)pbjd wrote Yes, but only certain ones, more info on the intu website.

Well, that's a relief

Just checked the info for Eldon Square and the only ones there are up 2 flights of stairs.

Go Outdoors set to go into administration with 2,400 jobs under threat


Owner JD Sports has filed for court protection following a huge downturn on trade due to the coronavirus pandemic


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(22 Jun 2020, 5:55 pm)cbma06 wrote Go Outdoors set to go into administration with 2,400 jobs under threat


Owner JD Sports has filed for court protection following a huge downturn on trade due to the coronavirus pandemic


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I've always found Go Outdoors to be incredibly expensive, so I definitely won't miss it. Shame about the potential job losses though

Intu Group who own Metro Centre in Gateshead and Eldon Square in Newcastle says they may be forced to close its sites if administrators are brought in. Intu says a company's been put on standby to takeover if a new financial deal can't be done by Friday


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(23 Jun 2020, 10:40 am)cbma06 wrote Intu Group who own Metro Centre in Gateshead and Eldon Square in Newcastle says they may be forced to close its sites if administrators are brought in. Intu says a company's been put on standby to takeover if a new financial deal can't be done by Friday


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Wonder if/how this would affect the bus stations at Eldon Square & MetroCentre if they close the shopping centres


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(23 Jun 2020, 7:21 pm)TEN 6083 wrote Wonder if/how this would affect the bus stations at Eldon Square & MetroCentre if they close them


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Are the bus stations owned by Intu and just operated by Nexus, or are they owned by Nexus directly?

(23 Jun 2020, 7:21 pm)TEN 6083 wrote Wonder if/how this would affect the bus stations at Eldon Square & MetroCentre if they close them


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I was driving past the metrocentre earlier and was wondering what the impact would be on the bus network, if either of the shopping centres were to close.

(23 Jun 2020, 7:45 pm)Andreos1 wrote I was driving past the metrocentre earlier and was wondering what the impact would be on the bus network, if either of the shopping centres were to close.

Done a bit of Googling, and it seems like Metrocentre Interchange is fully owned by Intu, so I'd imagine it would have to close, unless some agreement can be made.
Eldon Square Bus Station is jointly owned by Intu and Newcastle Council so I would imagine it could stay open.

(23 Jun 2020, 7:52 pm)streetdeckfan wrote Done a bit of Googling, and it seems like Metrocentre Interchange is fully owned by Intu, so I'd imagine it would have to close, unless some agreement can be made.
Eldon Square Bus Station is jointly owned by Intu and Newcastle Council so I would imagine it could stay open.

Regardless of who owns or operates the metrocentre interchange, if there's no shops open, restaurants to eat in or a cinema showing films - people aren't going to be getting the bus there.
The likes of the 100 will be redundant.

(23 Jun 2020, 8:08 pm)Andreos1 wrote Regardless of who owns or operates the metrocentre interchange, if there's no shops open, restaurants to eat in or a cinema showing films - people aren't going to be getting the bus there.
The likes of the 100 will be redundant.

But a lot of people still use it as an interchange, I highly doubt Metrocentre is going to close permanently, so if it were to close temporarily it would add extra time on to a lot of journeys, having to travel to either Gateshead or Eldon Square (if that even stays open)

(23 Jun 2020, 8:15 pm)streetdeckfan wrote But a lot of people still use it as an interchange, I highly doubt Metrocentre is going to close permanently, so if it were to close temporarily it would add extra time on to a lot of journeys, having to travel to either Gateshead or Eldon Square (if that even stays open)

I'd hazard a guess that those people form a tiny proportion of the people passing through the metrocentre. Miniscule compared to the proportion of people tramping past Greggs and Pizza Hut.

(23 Jun 2020, 9:55 pm)Andreos1 wrote I'd hazard a guess that those people form a tiny proportion of the people passing through the metrocentre. Miniscule compared to the proportion of people tramping past Greggs and Pizza Hut.

I personally used it all the time, it was much faster to get the 49 to the Metro to catch the X47, 10 etc. than it was going Eldon Square on the X30.

I used to see a lot of others just going from one stand to another as well

I cannot see them closing Eldon Square or the Metrocentre either permanently or eve temporarily. The owners are heavily indebted and need all the rent receipts they can get to pay their creditors. Very unlikely they would leave a site like the Metrocentre empty when they still have to pay the running costs such as maintenance and ground rent.

Charles

(23 Jun 2020, 10:45 pm)streetdeckfan wrote I personally used it all the time, it was much faster to get the 49 to the Metro to catch the X47, 10 etc. than it was going Eldon Square on the X30.

I used to see a lot of others just going from one stand to another as well

I'm sure there will be people who use it as an interchange - I've done it myself a handful of times since it opened in 87.
It still won't mean the bus station alongside one of the biggest shopping centres in Europe is used primarily as an interchange or that should the metrocentre close (permanently or temporarily), that services such as the 100 would sustain enough passengers through those using the bus station as an interchange.

There's hundreds of buses a day passing through and as I said earlier, a tiny proportion of those will use it as an interchange. The rest will be going to eat, wander or shop. It goes without saying.

https://www.business-live.co.uk/retail-c...476214.amp

JD Sports buys Go Outdoors back after pushing it into administration


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(25 Jun 2020, 1:38 am)TEN 6083 wrote https://www.business-live.co.uk/retail-c...476214.amp

JD Sports buys Go Outdoors back after pushing it into administration


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It’s cheaper to put the company into admin then purchase the company again


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(25 Jun 2020, 6:03 am)cbma06 wrote It’s cheaper to put the company into admin then purchase the company again


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Eh? What? Well dodgy.

Shopping centre giant Intu 'likely' to appoint administrators http://news.sky.com/story/shopping-centr...s-12015080


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Intu has just gone into administration. Going to be interesting to see what happens!.

Looks like they're going to stay open under the administrators

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-53195980

Another raft of restaurants disappearing

Newcastle restaurants to close as Bella Italia owner goes into administration

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/nor...p_AppShare

Pret have also announced that they won't be reopening their monument or Metrocentre stores. I bought a lot in their Haymarket store, this morning. I'd be gutted if they folded, too.

(02 Jul 2020, 7:31 pm)BusLoverMum wrote Another raft of restaurants disappearing

Newcastle restaurants to close as Bella Italia owner goes into administration

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/nor...p_AppShare

Pret have also announced that they won't be reopening their monument or Metrocentre stores. I bought a lot in their Haymarket store, this morning. I'd be gutted if they folded, too.

I always used to pop into Pret when I was in the Metro, you can't beat a 49p coffee!

(02 Jul 2020, 8:39 pm)streetdeckfan wrote I always used to pop into Pret when I was in the Metro, you can't beat a 49p coffee!

Yeah, their filter coffee is good. I bought a big bag of their ground coffee with my lunch order. The single origin one they do is a lovely light roast. A strong milky bucket of that has me ready to be vaguely sociable, in the morning.