Wellington: Shoppers love jewel in town's retail crown

It's market day in Wellington. There is much chatter in the air. Grocers are selling their colourful wares, there are ladies knitting in the wool shop and shoppers are browsing.

There is a buzz, but like many towns these days, Wellington felt the effects of the recession – the result of fewer people in the shops and less cash being spent.

There are a number of charity shops along the shopping thoroughfare, along with several bargain stores and betting shops. But to those who live, shop and work there, it is a little jewel in Shropshire's market town crown – with the three times a week indoor market beating solidly at the heart.

"Mr Wellington" Miles Hosken, who runs Miles Gentleman's Outfitters, has been an independent trader in the town centre for more than 40 years.

He says the town, like so many others nationwide, has seen great change from the days when he began his career.

"In those days it was amazing. You had to fight your way to get down this street two or three days of the week," he says.

Farmers, he said, would travel into the town for its regular markets while their families would throng the High Street doing their shopping.

There were hat shops, shoe shops, handbag shops, ladies and gents fashions, greengrocers and butchers to name but a few, he reminisces.

Mr Hosken, who is a former mayor of Wellington and Telford and remains a town and borough councillor, said: "I came to Wellington because I wanted to further my career in the gentleman's outfitters trade. I was trained here by McClures and then I went to James Beattie Wolverhampton and then I came back here and opened my first business in 1968.

"Back then, Wellington was absolutely amazing because of all the little shops, family-owned offering incredible service, quality merchandise and the town of course was the second, as far as I am concerned, town of Shropshire.

"Market days and the cattle market on a Monday were absolutely unbelievable. Farmers went to the market and the ladies and the families of the farmers came and did the shopping in the streets.

"You could get absolutely everything. It was a wonderful place to work. Busy, active, good small council running a very good town, clean, shops bright, no boarding up, no rails and chains down the windows.

"People would boulevard and parade up and down the street in the evening and the night looking at the displays.

"Mondays in those days were busier than the whole of the week in Wellington 2013," says Mr Hosken, who is set to shut his New Street shop when it is sold to spend more time with his wife, although he plans to continue trading online.

Mr Hosken said over the last two or three years money had been spent on various improvements to the shopping street by council leaders to make it more attractive to shoppers which was a step in the right direction.

He believes another major issue the town is facing is a lack of parking for shoppers.

He claims that with the creation of the new civic offices in the town and its 120 staff moving in, they have taken up valuable parking spaces which could be used by shoppers.

And he said the introduction of parking charges also hit the town, although they have since been lifted.

But he remains positive that the service offered in the town has never wavered in all the years he has been a trader and that shoppers to the town can expect a warm welcome.

"The quality of the people that are working in the shops behind the counter has never faltered in Wellington," he adds.

"It is one thing that I can put my hand in the air and say I am very, very proud of my colleagues. They offer a good service."

Tony Nicholls has been butcher and manager of Ken Francis Butchers for 25 years. He says he has witnessed much change over the last few years, most notably when the recession bit. In particular he says he has seen a difference in the way people shop.

He says there are fewer regular customers who go in three or four times a week. Instead he says younger people with families go in once a week and stock up.

Sandra Roberts, of Muxton, regularly shops in Wellington as she meets up with her sister Carol Morgan, who lives in the town, two or three times a week. Wellington has got pretty much everything," she said. "To me, the market is really the hub. It has been going for such a long time."

And she said that Wellington was mirroring other towns with the amount of charity shops opening up. Even if you go to other towns, all the charity shops are definitely taking over. But it is part and parcel of life at the moment."

Andrew Gordon, of Allums Jewellers, says that if the issue of parking was resolved in the town, it would help Wellington.

Like Mr Hosken, he believes that while parking is free, there are too few parking spaces for people to use.

"I like Wellington. It is a nice little town and it has got potential. But my honest opinion is that parking is an issue."

He said they were promised more parking when the civic centre was built, but it has yet to come to fruition.

"People do not realise what a little gem we have got here. The market is brilliant, it has got lots of stalls compared to other market towns," he enthuses. "Wellington, for me, is the best market town in Shropshire."

• Tomorrow: How times are changing for the market town of Oswestry