We have two pieces of news, one positive, the other less so. Let’s start with the positive news…
As long-term followers of Wow Comix will know, we have an online business called Wow Comix World which sells our wares via the internet. We also use the website to pass on news about Wow Comix and its activities. It has been very successful over the last year or so and we are very pleased to say it continues to grow.
Due to the increase in traffic on our site (at http://www.wowcomix.com) and given our future plans for the company as a whole, we have now signed on the dotted line for a new set of offices and storage space in Denton, where we will be running all of our online operations from in the future. It will also become our headquarters for the whole Wow Comix group of companies and partnerships.
With this restructure it will allow us to spend much more time overseeing and improving the website operations and will give us time to pursue the growth of other aspects of our business, such as our Wow Events company (look for some exciting announcements in respect of upcoming events soon).
We will be moving into these premises in the coming weeks, and the website will be operational throughout this period.
Now on to the less positive news. Sadly, we are announcing that Wow Comix Stretford is closing on Saturday 16th April
It does not seem that long ago we moved into Stretford Mall but there is no escaping the fact that our time there has not gone according to plan. We should have known from the start that it was doomed given that we had literally just moved in when the covid pandemic struck and we were forced to shut for months. Since then, we have had several further enforced closures due to the covid lockdowns. Unfortunately, it has never really picked up from there.
Despite our fondness for the shop and of course our customers, since we reopened out of the lockdown last year, we have seen a sharp decline in general footfall within the mall itself, particularly through the weekdays and this has, of course, had an impact on the viability of operating there. With recent big increases in utilities charges, business rates, staff costs and other operating expenses it is no longer economic for us to continue in Stretford Mall.
On top of that, what we were not informed about before we moved in, is that there is a planned redevelopment of the mall and surrounding area which will cause significant disruption and would clearly impact our business. In the circumstances, taking all this into consideration, we have come to the conclusion that it is simply not worth staying in Stretford.
There is a break clause in our lease which we have now activated and that will allow us to leave at the end of April. The shutters will therefore come down for the last time on Saturday 16 April.
We would like to thank all of our customers for being such loyal supporters since we moved into Stretford. We are disappointed about the store closure but we do not see this as the end for our business in the area and we do intend to re-open in another location as and when we find a suitable opportunity to do so. In the meantime, do remember that our Bury and Stockport stores are alive and well, with Stockport of course being the closest, just a couple of junctions down from Stretford. You can also shop online with us online.
If you have any further questions, please contact us at info@wowcomix.com or via the contact form on the website.