To be annoyed that everywhere except London gets forgotten about?

[BarbaraofSeville]

Prompted by another thread about the riveting subject of changing coins.

AIBU to be annoyed that many big businesses appear to forget that anywhere outside the south east even exists?

I live in a large city in northern England, and while we have plenty of facilities (shops, restaurants, parks, theatres, museums etc etc) there are a few businesses that have totally ignored us while opening dozens of Branches in or near London.

Eg Metro Bank, over a dozen branches within the M25, but nothing further away from London than Cambridge!

Uniqlo - Only one of their 10 UK branches is outside London (in Kent).

There are probably others, but that's all that I can think of right now.

AIBU to think that before they open multiple branches that are virtually on the same street in London, they should be opening up in Leeds, Manchester, Newcastle, Cardiff, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Bristol, Belfast, Nottingham etc instead?

If they did this most people would be within a reasonable distance of a branch, instead of them all being crammed in one tiny area of the country.

We have money, we would use these businesses. In fact, many of us probably have a lot more disposable income than people in the south east because we don't have to spend stupid money on housing!

I don'd understand the cult of coffee shops. I suppose it's a cheap way for people to feel special?

Maid Manchester is really good for shopping! Liverpool isn't bad either I think we have 2 prets maybe 3.

I suppose everything's relative to the size/population of your city and I suppose tourism helps too!

But I'm really surprised that a city the size of Sheffield doesn't have a GAP

Meadowhall killed Sheffield city centre.

Anyone else loving the fact that this thread uses ' number of prets' as a measure of comparative worth?

As someone who is leaving London very soon - it's Leon that I'll miss most. I fucking love Leon.

Why do people want GAP?

I have no idea. The one in Meadowhall was shit and I'm not surprised it closed - especially when the "real" price of all the clothes seems to be the 50 per cent off offers that are permanently on at the outlet shops.

I agree putting stuff in leeds. I'm from Bradford and we have fuck all! I travel to Sheffield, Leeds and Manchester to find shops.

I'm a bit dissolusioned by Leon recently. The North can have it.

Sure Metrobank only has branches in the south at the moment, but then Barnsley building society doesn't have any in the south. Businesses are allowed to be regional.

Uniglo I think never expanded outside London 'cos they do pretty bad in London so it's not worth investing in expansion against investing in the rest of the world. Not sure why you'd want one anyway.

There used to be a Uniqlo in Coventry (of all places).

I wouldn't say Leeds is a big northern city. Newcastle maybe. Apart from that I don't think YABU op

Leeds is the 3rd largest city isn't it?

I live on the Isle of Wight. We don't even have Burger King, let alone a Pret

But yes, we are totally ignored. OK we're not a big city, but we're lumped in with Hampshire with no thought that being a small island might have a whole load of different needs and problems to a relatively rich, mainland county

Even the local news don't bother to send anyone over if anything newsworthy happens. They stand on Southsea seafront with a big old camera and zoom in

Leeds is the 3rd largest city isn't it?

Depends how you define Manchester. If 'London' includes the entire Metropolitan district, then so does 'Manchester' and 'Leeds'. And the former is bigger.

I have a friend that works for Metrobank. I think it's most likely got something to do with London being the financial capital of Europe (if not the world). I live in Leeds btw and just accept that these businesses will come nearer here in the future.

From here

Nonetheless, in the name of completism, here are the populations of England's metropolitan counties...

Greater London – 8,173,941
West Midlands (B'ham) – 2,736,460
Greater Manchester – 2,682,528
West Yorkshire (Leeds-Bradford) – 2,226,058
Merseyside (L'pool) – 1,381,189
South Yorkshire (Sheffield) – 1,343,601
Tyne & Wear (Newcastle) – 1,104,825

...and of some of the bigger official "cities" they contain:

Birmingham – 1,073,045
Leeds – 751,485
Sheffield – 552,698
Bradford – 522,452
Manchester – 503,127
Liverpool – 466,415
Bristol – 428,234
Newcastle – 280,177
Sunderland – 275,506
Wolverhampton – 249,470

From the 2011 census

I live on the Isle of Wight. We don't even have Burger King, let alone a Pret

That is all to do with the space time continuum. Fact: when you can't see the Isle of Wight from the mainland it disappears like Brigadoon. This means that it actually exists in a parallel dimension.

I work in London and I don't know what Leon is

Manchester is pretty good for shopping. You've got a big range from the chains in the Arndale to the independents in the Northern Quarter, all walking distance. The Trafford centre can be a bit soulless but you have little concessions like Muji in Selfridges. I'm more familiar with the bars and restaurants in Liverpool than the shops, but it seems pretty lively.

I would choose an independent coffee shop over a chain every time. We are spoilt for choice for cute cafes and gastropubs within 10 minutes our village.

And yes, now we have a Booths too.

You're not missing much laurie. It used to be great but then it got private equity money and now it's crap.

I am a Londoner born and bred and have never been in Uniqlo and look shit in anything from Gap. Does that help?

Gap T shirts are virtually the only sort long enough for my slim but tall and broad shouldered DH. Most others finish around his waistband.

Greggs - started in the NE where I am from. I don't often see them down here (I live in London).

Also people don't have as much money outside London so it's not economic to set up some chains.

We even get it locally. The nearest group of shops near my house doesn't have a single well known coffee chain because of money - people aren't rich enough near by. Go another mile in both directions to slightly richer bits and you find them.

Booths looks lovely but I have several independent delis, bakers and 2 gorgeous farm shops within walking distance .
and the independent wine shop and the Butcher who breeds his own.

Love the fact they have opened one in Hale Barns !!!

Sally Webster will be chuffed

It seems that shops open and then close again quickly.

fredfred Uniqlo is a Japanese brand- the sizing comes very small.
I doubt your average Northern woman is their target market
Plus they do lots of warm weather outerwear /thermals .
When I lived in Ncastle a fake tan was considered the only concession in the winter

Deo there are dozens of Greggs in London.

I don't find Uniqlo clothes small. I'm a tall 12/14 and the medium almost always fits fine, which is no different to Gap or anywhere else.

Agree that HS2 will only serve to increase the distance that people will commute to The City from. What they need to do is move the jobs to different areas of the country - it works in Germany. Industry is spread out between Berlin, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf and Berlin I think, not squashed in close to the capital, like it is here.

But could you tell me what it is Backing