In message , at 09:03:04 on
Wed, 19 Dec 2007, Sky Rider remarked:
Roland Perry wrote:

snip

The shops I've been in are very small (M&S last Friday was so full
you literally couldn't get through the door).

In contrast, the M&S Circle unit is currently a rare breed in that it
is *never* busy, mainly because hardly anyone walks along Pancras Road
to get to Euston Road these days. On occasion M&S do give out
leaflets/vouchers in order to boost awareness but they could do more.

That description fits me well. Despite doing what I took to be a
complete tour of the station on Friday looking for somewhere to buy
food, I didn't make it as far as the Circle. The previous week I did
have to use the "tunnel" to the rear toilets, and the Circle seemed to
be very much "work in progress".

The WHS is in a part of the station where the structure only allows a
small footprint per shop. Maybe the master plan is a bit broken?

There will be a sizeable WHSmith unit in the Circle when it opens next
year. From that point it will be interesting to see how many visitors
use the Circle until:
1) Southeastern move into StP (it will have been 4.5 years since Govia
last ran services to/from the station, although you can't compare
Thameslink to this ;-) );
2) The Northern Ticket Hall at KXSP opens for service.

At the moment the Circle seems a bit out in the wilderness!
--
Roland Perry