Retail gloom as another store shuts in Basildon town centre

8:00am Monday 25th June 2012 in News

Closed – the Pure Party store in Basildon town centre Closed – the Pure Party store in Basildon town centre

YET another Basildon town centre shop bolted its doors for good yesterday.

Balloon and fancy dress specialist, Pure Party, had its last day of trading before pulling down its shutters for the finaltime.

The store, based in the town centre, next to Wilkinson’s, has been forced to close after its parent company Clinton Cards went bust.

Although a buyer from the US was found for the greetings card chain, the new owners decided not to save the town centre Clinton Card branch, nor its sister shop Pure Party.

Yesterday a huge sign was up in the shop advertising the closure and saying “everything must go”.

The store sold fancy dress costumes and accessories, but specialised in balloons for birthdays and weddings.

It is thought most of the ten members of staff in the shop have found alternative jobs in surviving Clinton branches.

Former customer Julie Day, 27, of Rectory Road, Pitsea, said: “I’m gutted. I used the shop for loads of special events, including my own hen night.

“They had accessories nobody else had. It’s a real shame to see it go.

“Stuff in other shops is either really tacky or really expensive.”

One town centre businessman, who asked not to be named, said: “The worst thing about this is I understand the shop was making money, it wasn’t struggling. It’s a shame. It’s been dragged down by the demise of Clinton Cards.”

It is the latest retail blow for Basildon, Pure Party’s closure comes after the demise of Peacocks, Top Shop and Burger King, as well as two independent pet shops.

The trouble facing retailers in Basildon town centre is not being matched in the Eastgate Shopping Centre, where business is booming.

The Clinton Cards branch inside the Eastgate Centre has been kept open by the new owners, despite being located next door to another card shop.

Comments (15)

8:42am Mon 25 Jun 12

Barry Bas says...

"It is the latest retail blow for Basildon, Pure Party’s closure comes after the demise of Peacocks, Top Shop and Burger King, as well as two independent pet shops."

This paragraph is incorrect, Top Shop and Burger King are still in Basildon in the Eastgate Centre.
"It is the latest retail blow for Basildon, Pure Party’s closure comes after the demise of Peacocks, Top Shop and Burger King, as well as two independent pet shops." This paragraph is incorrect, Top Shop and Burger King are still in Basildon in the Eastgate Centre. Barry Bas

9:11am Mon 25 Jun 12

AndyBSG says...

Barry Bas wrote:
"It is the latest retail blow for Basildon, Pure Party’s closure comes after the demise of Peacocks, Top Shop and Burger King, as well as two independent pet shops."

This paragraph is incorrect, Top Shop and Burger King are still in Basildon in the Eastgate Centre.
I think they mean KFC, not Burger King
[quote][p][bold]Barry Bas[/bold] wrote: "It is the latest retail blow for Basildon, Pure Party’s closure comes after the demise of Peacocks, Top Shop and Burger King, as well as two independent pet shops." This paragraph is incorrect, Top Shop and Burger King are still in Basildon in the Eastgate Centre.[/p][/quote]I think they mean KFC, not Burger King AndyBSG

9:39am Mon 25 Jun 12

SpiffSpaff84 says...

Dont be glum, remember tony ball said that if we cram basildon with houses & flats over all our green spaces it MIGHT make wealthy businessmen invest in the town and "generate growth", chin up!
Dont be glum, remember tony ball said that if we cram basildon with houses & flats over all our green spaces it MIGHT make wealthy businessmen invest in the town and "generate growth", chin up! SpiffSpaff84

11:54am Mon 25 Jun 12

TheWizzard says...

All part of the 'Master plan'
All part of the 'Master plan' TheWizzard

12:17pm Mon 25 Jun 12

The Cater Wood Creeper says...

don't worry there'll be a poundshop or a 'pawnbroker' taking it over soon enough...

If this was Billericay it'd be a trendy eaterie/bar taking it over
don't worry there'll be a poundshop or a 'pawnbroker' taking it over soon enough... If this was Billericay it'd be a trendy eaterie/bar taking it over The Cater Wood Creeper

12:20pm Mon 25 Jun 12

PJR121 says...

AndyBSG wrote:
Barry Bas wrote: "It is the latest retail blow for Basildon, Pure Party’s closure comes after the demise of Peacocks, Top Shop and Burger King, as well as two independent pet shops." This paragraph is incorrect, Top Shop and Burger King are still in Basildon in the Eastgate Centre.
I think they mean KFC, not Burger King
I will stand up for the Echo one some things. It's mentioned in the next paragraph that the Eastgate centre is doing well. I believe they mean that Burger King and Top Shop have gone from the town centre itself, having relocated to Eastgate.

Why Eastgate is seperated out from Basildon town centre however, I have no idea.
[quote][p][bold]AndyBSG[/bold] wrote: [quote][p][bold]Barry Bas[/bold] wrote: "It is the latest retail blow for Basildon, Pure Party’s closure comes after the demise of Peacocks, Top Shop and Burger King, as well as two independent pet shops." This paragraph is incorrect, Top Shop and Burger King are still in Basildon in the Eastgate Centre.[/p][/quote]I think they mean KFC, not Burger King[/p][/quote]I will stand up for the Echo one some things. It's mentioned in the next paragraph that the Eastgate centre is doing well. I believe they mean that Burger King and Top Shop have gone from the town centre itself, having relocated to Eastgate. Why Eastgate is seperated out from Basildon town centre however, I have no idea. PJR121

1:27pm Mon 25 Jun 12

Barry Bas says...

PJR121 wrote:
AndyBSG wrote:
Barry Bas wrote: "It is the latest retail blow for Basildon, Pure Party’s closure comes after the demise of Peacocks, Top Shop and Burger King, as well as two independent pet shops." This paragraph is incorrect, Top Shop and Burger King are still in Basildon in the Eastgate Centre.
I think they mean KFC, not Burger King
I will stand up for the Echo one some things. It's mentioned in the next paragraph that the Eastgate centre is doing well. I believe they mean that Burger King and Top Shop have gone from the town centre itself, having relocated to Eastgate. Why Eastgate is seperated out from Basildon town centre however, I have no idea.
Maybe that is what they meant but that is not what they have written. When you talk about the demise of a shop it means it is no more not just relocated.
[quote][p][bold]PJR121[/bold] wrote: [quote][p][bold]AndyBSG[/bold] wrote: [quote][p][bold]Barry Bas[/bold] wrote: "It is the latest retail blow for Basildon, Pure Party’s closure comes after the demise of Peacocks, Top Shop and Burger King, as well as two independent pet shops." This paragraph is incorrect, Top Shop and Burger King are still in Basildon in the Eastgate Centre.[/p][/quote]I think they mean KFC, not Burger King[/p][/quote]I will stand up for the Echo one some things. It's mentioned in the next paragraph that the Eastgate centre is doing well. I believe they mean that Burger King and Top Shop have gone from the town centre itself, having relocated to Eastgate. Why Eastgate is seperated out from Basildon town centre however, I have no idea.[/p][/quote]Maybe that is what they meant but that is not what they have written. When you talk about the demise of a shop it means it is no more not just relocated. Barry Bas

1:39pm Mon 25 Jun 12

PJR121 says...

Barry Bas wrote:
PJR121 wrote:
AndyBSG wrote:
Barry Bas wrote: "It is the latest retail blow for Basildon, Pure Party’s closure comes after the demise of Peacocks, Top Shop and Burger King, as well as two independent pet shops." This paragraph is incorrect, Top Shop and Burger King are still in Basildon in the Eastgate Centre.
I think they mean KFC, not Burger King
I will stand up for the Echo one some things. It's mentioned in the next paragraph that the Eastgate centre is doing well. I believe they mean that Burger King and Top Shop have gone from the town centre itself, having relocated to Eastgate. Why Eastgate is seperated out from Basildon town centre however, I have no idea.
Maybe that is what they meant but that is not what they have written. When you talk about the demise of a shop it means it is no more not just relocated.
The Echo seems to be lifting Eastgate out of the town centre. So if Eastgate was not there, then yes, it would be a demise.

However, Why they've chosen two shops that have relocated to a shopping centre they want to forget about is odd. They could have said KFC rather than Burger King after all, that is gone, no relocation, just shut...

Plus, it's obvious the Echo does not have access to a dictionary or a thesaurus - so they probably didn't mean to use demise...!
[quote][p][bold]Barry Bas[/bold] wrote: [quote][p][bold]PJR121[/bold] wrote: [quote][p][bold]AndyBSG[/bold] wrote: [quote][p][bold]Barry Bas[/bold] wrote: "It is the latest retail blow for Basildon, Pure Party’s closure comes after the demise of Peacocks, Top Shop and Burger King, as well as two independent pet shops." This paragraph is incorrect, Top Shop and Burger King are still in Basildon in the Eastgate Centre.[/p][/quote]I think they mean KFC, not Burger King[/p][/quote]I will stand up for the Echo one some things. It's mentioned in the next paragraph that the Eastgate centre is doing well. I believe they mean that Burger King and Top Shop have gone from the town centre itself, having relocated to Eastgate. Why Eastgate is seperated out from Basildon town centre however, I have no idea.[/p][/quote]Maybe that is what they meant but that is not what they have written. When you talk about the demise of a shop it means it is no more not just relocated.[/p][/quote]The Echo seems to be lifting Eastgate out of the town centre. So if Eastgate was not there, then yes, it would be a demise. However, Why they've chosen two shops that have relocated to a shopping centre they want to forget about is odd. They could have said KFC rather than Burger King after all, that is gone, no relocation, just shut... Plus, it's obvious the Echo does not have access to a dictionary or a thesaurus - so they probably didn't mean to use demise...! PJR121

4:44pm Mon 25 Jun 12

v.randy says...

I loved Burger King,especially the 'bean burger' is nothing safe.
KFC is alright but everything has chicken in it which is a bit of a put off!!
I loved Burger King,especially the 'bean burger' is nothing safe. KFC is alright but everything has chicken in it which is a bit of a put off!! v.randy

1:05pm Tue 26 Jun 12

The Cater Wood Creeper says...

v.randy wrote:
I loved Burger King,especially the 'bean burger' is nothing safe. KFC is alright but everything has chicken in it which is a bit of a put off!!
yeah, those chicken shakes are a bit much .....
[quote][p][bold]v.randy[/bold] wrote: I loved Burger King,especially the 'bean burger' is nothing safe. KFC is alright but everything has chicken in it which is a bit of a put off!![/p][/quote]yeah, those chicken shakes are a bit much ..... The Cater Wood Creeper

4:29pm Tue 26 Jun 12

sunshine07 says...

I wished i was an adult shopper when i was a kid we had really good shops then , like the massive co op and the sainsburys and tesco and richard shops and the big material shop im surprised there is not one of them i know a small material shop opened up in that block where kentuckys was but that didnt last long and sarah paul on the bus station i got my wedding dress from there 24 years ago and before that all my clothes for the weekend discos and party oh those were the days :)
I wished i was an adult shopper when i was a kid we had really good shops then , like the massive co op and the sainsburys and tesco and richard shops and the big material shop im surprised there is not one of them i know a small material shop opened up in that block where kentuckys was but that didnt last long and sarah paul on the bus station i got my wedding dress from there 24 years ago and before that all my clothes for the weekend discos and party oh those were the days :) sunshine07

5:36pm Tue 26 Jun 12

maywood says...

Try lifting the parking restrictions,and not forcing cars into car parks and then charging exorbitant charges,that may go some way into helping,after all who wants to drive to town and then be paying to park ?.try a month with no parking charge,my bet is it will see a lot more people,not that it will happen.
Try lifting the parking restrictions,and not forcing cars into car parks and then charging exorbitant charges,that may go some way into helping,after all who wants to drive to town and then be paying to park ?.try a month with no parking charge,my bet is it will see a lot more people,not that it will happen. maywood

9:58pm Tue 26 Jun 12

Trainman says...

FAR Too Many towns charge FAR Too Much for parking, the same as Rent for shops, then the shops have to keep THEIR prices high to help pay for it all.

According to the local news tonight, 'Sales' are now on around the country, so IF the shops can still make a Good profit from these 'Sales' as such, then WHY don't they lower their profits to start with, and then it MIGHT encourage shoppers to spend more?
FAR Too Many towns charge FAR Too Much for parking, the same as Rent for shops, then the shops have to keep THEIR prices high to help pay for it all. According to the local news tonight, 'Sales' are now on around the country, so IF the shops can still make a Good profit from these 'Sales' as such, then WHY don't they lower their profits to start with, and then it MIGHT encourage shoppers to spend more? Trainman

3:39pm Wed 27 Jun 12

Last Poster says...

There are still some smashing little shops in Neighbouring Billericay. Hop on the 100 bus and spend a little time browsing the shops in this sweet old-fashioned town, steeped in history. The gentle folk will make you very welcome, especially if you mention you are Basildon folk! Oh, and if you can still afford to run your car, short stop parking is somewhat less expensive than in the New Town.
There are still some smashing little shops in Neighbouring Billericay. Hop on the 100 bus and spend a little time browsing the shops in this sweet old-fashioned town, steeped in history. The gentle folk will make you very welcome, especially if you mention you are Basildon folk! Oh, and if you can still afford to run your car, short stop parking is somewhat less expensive than in the New Town. Last Poster

10:59pm Wed 27 Jun 12

gabbyevs says...

is it? last time i went to billericay was charge 2 pounds for parking-shame all these shops are closing though
is it? last time i went to billericay was charge 2 pounds for parking-shame all these shops are closing though gabbyevs

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