Put party politics aside and work together to support York.
That’s the message from a business leader today (2 May) after another city centre shop closed.
Toymaster has closed its doors and whitewashed its windows.
Stock can still be seen inside the Market Street shop, which opened in October 2016.
It was an independently-run shop which bought the right to use the Toymaster name and buying power.
A spokeswoman for the national Toymaster group said the York branch had resigned two weeks ago.
‘Put party politics aside’
Chairman of York Retail Forum said: “It is such a shame to see another name leave York, in this case an independent trading under a national name.
“Our planning policies building more out of town retail, and the rise of online paying little to no tax, has created a fragmented shopping experience.
“We are only on the cusp of this retail revolution, we have to act now to ensure that what emerges on the other side is what we are all expecting.”
Phil said the election of a new council today was the perfect moment for a fresh start to boost the city’s high street.
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With local elections taking place today, I think whoever finds themselves elected as local councillors, they need to put party politics to one side and address the issues facing York by working together.
If we want a vibrant High Street we have to listen to retailers, and work with them to ensure our city remains a great place for business to thrive.
The council is a large landlord in the city, and they have to wake up to the situation currently facing retailers, rents can no longer automatically increase every five years, we are not over the peak of this current rate of change currently affecting the High Street, it will get a lot worse yet.