In 2013 our Marks & Spencer store closed down and the company moved to a new home in Prestatyn. It was at least six months before I got round to paying a visit. There seemed to be something daft about going from Rhyl (population about 25,000) to Prestatyn (population only around 16,000) for shopping, but eventually curiosity took me along.
Now I go occasionally for a change of scenery more than anything, and nearly always run into other Rhylites and we all say, “What are YOU doing here?!”
Looking at the new Marks, there would have been nowhere big enough for that in Rhyl town centre (except possibly as a fresh build on the Queens Market site). Looking at Parc Prestatyn development as a whole, including Tesco – and more stores to come – Rhyl would have needed an out of town development to accommodate everything.
Prestatyn is an older place. It was an established market and shopping town before there was much in Rhyl except sandbanks, mud, marsh land and wooden shacks. (I hope history isn’t going to repeat itself, ha ha.) Seriously, Prestatyn is panning out as the most important retail centre between Chester and Llandudno.
But where does that leave Rhyl?
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[These names are added here for indexing purposes: River Island Prestatyn, Poundland Prestatyn, New Look shop Prestatyn, Next shop Prestatyn, Boots shop Prestatyn.]
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[These names are added here for indexing purposes: River Island Prestatyn, Poundland Prestatyn, New Look shop Prestatyn, Next shop Prestatyn, Boots shop Prestatyn.]
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