BB FANS

TOO POSH FOR ARGOS
Snobby residents fear store would lower tone of the town
By Richard Smith

A SNOOTY sailing town yesterday started a campaign to keep out Argos - fearing the store would lower the tone.

Hundreds of aghast residents signed a petition after hearing the catalogue shop may replace a Waitrose in Lymington, Hants.

Campaign leader Pippa Redman, 53, said: "Once you get started with the likes of Argos then the next thing you know there's a Currys and all the other names like that. It would lower the tone.

"We already have a Woolworths and people who want to order things of that ilk can shop there.

"It's a very ugly building as it is. At least as a Waitrose it is subtle and attracts a certain calibre of customer. But an Argos would lower the tone and drive out that calibre of people. Everyone in the area is horrified by the news."

Waitrose owner the John Lewis Partnership is selling a 30-year lease for £230,000 a year and Argos is one of three bidders, thought to include clothing outlet Primark and home goods store Wilkinson.

Miss Redman, who owns clothing boutique Amanini near the site, said: "There are three awful options and Argos is the worst."

She thinks Argos should open a store a few miles away in Pennington, which some residents of Lymington consider their "poor neighbour".

Pennington district councillor Paul Hickman said: "That's ridiculous. Everyone uses Argos - even the rich. I have nothing against an Argos in Lymington."

Pennington resident Tim Reid, 56, said: "Miss Redman's remarks are totally snobbish."

Jonathan Corby from Gooch Cunliffe Whale chartered surveyors, acting for Waitrose, would only confirm they had "quite a few offers" they were working through.

Denise Bigwood of Argos said: "Lymington is an area Argos is interested in but we are not committed to the proposal yet."

Argos was founded in 1973 and has 670 stores in Britain serving 130million customers a year.

A final decision on the lease is likely next week.

richard.smith@mirror.co.uk

What's this woman going on about - "three awful options"? Wilkinsons sell lots of good things at low prices and I think they should accept the Wilko bid.

They just don't want the common people coming to their area to visit the cheap shops.

I can't blame them really. Primark is dire, and supports nothing less than child slavery in the far east. How else do you think they get their clothes so cheap ?

Calrissian: used to be @ 204

Primark is ace!It's like being bisexual.No-one admits to it,but everyone has a dabble!

I'm willing to admit to it.

In fact, I could 'come out' right here and now and say that I have in my possession, a skirt and top which I purchased in Primark (Penneys) last autumn, and honestly, when I was deciding whether or not to buy them, I was inspired by a post on this very site, where one formidable woman declared that she refused to be pigeon-holed by her age.

Primark/Penneys were great for my daughters - it was the only shop where I could afford say to them, 'yes, go ahead, pick out what you want'.

Not too keen on the socks, though. I go upmarket for them - has to be Dunnes Stores

I've edited - but maybe less is more.

I'm definitely willing to admit to it, both going to Primark and the other.


And I don't consider myself common at all for going to Primark anytime I am home.

I'd rather be subjected to 24 hours of torture from Jack Bauer than enter a Primark store.

Calrissian: has standards, and does not believe in child slavery.

Ooooh..Cal...you have to have a dabble.Otherwise how do you know it's not for you???

I always feel quite cheated I can't spend more than £50 despite having kitted out all 4 of mine and got a top for me.

Dunnes is positively upmarket,GG.Even my mother(snob that she was,bless her) would deign to shop there.She'd be turning in her grave to see me and the girls rummaging in the one euro basket in Penneys for tights and hair slides!

Are you insinuating that those of us who do go to these kind of shops don't have standards?


ellie: tries not to be a freaking judgemental snob

Pikey darling,

I can remember when a can of Coke cost 7p (just after the decimalisation ) in what was the grocery end of Primark/Penneys, in Mullingar, cattle-trading capital of the Irish midlands. At the same time, nylon knickers with the days of the week printed on them cost an outlandish 25p in Primark. As primary school children, we used to save up our pocket money to buy a pair each week. The worry would be that 'Sunday' would be all sold out before we got around to buying it. In those days, we were really innocent, and wanted the fancy knicks to show off in the swimming pool changing rooms.
Seems the cost of Coke has risen a lot more than the cost of 'exotic' undies.

The grocery part of Primark, turned into Quinnsworth, and then to Tesco.

And a friend told me she was at an Italian Trade Fair, and saw the same product being purchased by Dunnes Stores, and Harvey Nicholls.

Sometimes people can be misled by a name.

My mother would be turning in her grave if she knew I shop regularly in Primark.And that I always visit Penneys when I'm on holiday.Penneys had a gorgeous 40s style dress during the summer that didn't make it to these shores.I bought the green spotted one for 10Euro.I liked it so much I went back and bought the red.
As its not been onsale in this country,whenever I wear the dresses I'm always asked where I got them from.I just smile enigmatically and say 'Oh,somewhere in Ireland'

£1 in every £4 is now spent on 'cheap' chic from TopShop and Primark

Last updated at 22:38pm on 29th October 2006

Budget clothes shops such as Primark now take almost one in every four pounds spent on fashion in Britain, reveals a new report.

Describing someone's clothes as "cheap" used to be a cruel insult - football fans even made up a chant about Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho buying his famous old coat at Matalan.

But with stores such as Primark and New Look tying up a quarter of the market, shopping in cut price clothing chains has become trendy with Coleen McLoughlin fronting a campaign for George at Asda and Charlotte Church preferring Peacocks to Prada.

DailyMail

I dont go to Primark but I buy most of my clothes from New Look and Matalan