Hoopers to close Carlisle department store

Last updated at 12:25, Tuesday, 08 May 2012

One of Carlisle’s most iconic city centre department stores, Hoopers, is to close after it failed to turn around losses running into six figures.

Have your say

I don't think a Primark in Carlisle will be sustainable in the long term. I know many similar sized towns that have a Primark but people still go to the bigger stores in Glasgow and Newcastle as they offer more. The smaller stores won't offer the same kind of things.

Posted by Anon on 9 May 2012 at 13:00

There is no such thing as cheap clothing. Everything has to be paid for so it's either we pay, or the environment suffers as a result of resources being used to make clothing that will not last very long, and those clothes then ending in landfill, or people pay as a result of loss of education, poor wages or poor working conditions. I'm not saying that the only choice is to buy designer but there are very few people in Carlisle who can only clothe themselves by buying at Primark prices. Personally I will not shop there, as I could not dress myself or my child in clothing that another child has made.

Posted by Emma on 9 May 2012 at 12:03

It is a real shame hoopers is going, I love the shop and I'm of the 'younger genoration'. I agree it sells 'higher class' clothing but what people don't understand, there is people in cumbria that want to feel and look great in designer clothes! It is no more expensive than if you where to travel elsewere for designer clothes. Do we really want to see everybody in carlisle with matching primark clothes? I think not! Hoopers is always clean, inviting and the staff are great. I hope them all the very best in the future! Now I'm the one who will also have to travel to newcastle, edinburgh and manchester for my clothes.

Posted by lucy on 9 May 2012 at 11:35

Sorry to hear Hoopers closing. However, some time ago people were screaming out for a Primark store. Now there's some buildings avilable for them, seems like some people have changed there mind. About time they came to Carlisle - will save having to travel to the Metro.

Posted by Taurus 617 on 9 May 2012 at 10:43

Could this closure and subsequent loss of jobs have something to do with the expensive pedestrianisation of Castle Street? What an expensive cock up and as council tax payers "we're all in this together". paying dearly for such incompetence.

Posted by Anon on 9 May 2012 at 09:55

nee good having a store if the carlisle people dont shop there.

Posted by geeoot on 9 May 2012 at 09:43

Surely a store can be found to fill the empty building that is somewhere between a shop too expensive for most of the residents and a store that makes its profit out of sweatshop wages and conditions. A mix of smaller independent shops within the one building similar to the one in Manchester and other cities would be a solution.

Posted by Anon on 9 May 2012 at 09:32

I've lived in Carlisle over 12 months but only went in Hoopers for the first time on Saturday (coincidence). Apart from the prices I could not beleive how out of date the clothes were and how frumpy. Not surprised its going, did not seem to me that they were doing anything to liven up the image and attract customers, did they not watch Mary Queen of shops?

Posted by Shopoholic on 9 May 2012 at 09:10

Well, if you're not willing to shop in this place because you think it's too expensive / exclusive, you can't really bellyache when the joint shuts down. If you don't support it or use it, you're going to lose it. It really is that straightforward.

Posted by Ross on 9 May 2012 at 02:30

Sign of the times. A large focus in Carlisle nowadays is the University, how many students can afford to shop in the likes of Hoopers? Not many. How many students travel to the likes of Newcastle and Manchester specifically to shop in Primark, and consequently spend money in other stores in those cities? Quite a lot!
Back in 2009, Stagecoach cancelled their Barrow to Carlisle shoppers service, because people on low incomes from Barrow did not have any reason to come to Carlisle to shop, they go to the likes of Preston now instead, where they have a Primark.
Primark would bring those shoppers from Barrow back to Carlisle, the old shoppers service could be reintroduced providing more bus driving jobs, and more jobs would be created in Primark itself. Locally owned La Baguette is just around the corner, and already does a smashing trade, they could expand further with the creation of more jobs with the increase in demand for their products. It would also appeal to residents in Dumfries area, rather than travelling to Glasgow for shopping in Primark, they could travel to Carlisle, bringing more trade into the city. Car parking chaos? Well, create a park and ride site on the outskirts of the city, like the one operated by Stagecoach in 2004, which had declining success after people started travelling to the likes of Newcastle for shopping! Park & ride site will need staffed, so more jobs created there, and they'll need buses and bus drivers, so even more jobs created!
West Cumbrian's like myself would not be travelling out of Cumbria for shopping days because we want to get some cheap clothing from Primark (I was in Metrocentre on Sunday and saw a few West Cumbrians there, who went just for Primark).
Primark is like Aldi, they sell their products cheap because they can sell in large volumes to make up the profits, whereas a company like Hoopers need to have high prices to maintain the same profit levels. If you stood at the tills in Primark in the Metrocentre, and added up the totals from each sale over an hour, you'd be well into the thousands. Hoopers were struggling to make Â£2000 a day, Primark could thrash that in an hour.
Society is changing, the economy is changing, everything is changing, and the only way Carlisle can keep up is to change with the times, provide what the majority of people want. Carlisle is NOT a rich city, so there's no sustainable customer base for a retailer on the level of Hoopers.

Posted by Carlisle Business Student on 9 May 2012 at 02:00