Saturday, April 11, 2009
Can you believe it? It's closing down!
The Golf Sale. The legendary never-ending Golf Sale. The sports shop down a Mayfair sidestreet near Oxford Circus. The iconic Golf Sale advertised along Oxford Street by men with sandwich boards since time immemorial. Much imitated, never beaten. The Golf Sale. Closing down. Nip down to Maddox Street fast if you want to snap up a cut-price putter or trolleybag or snazzy jumper.
And no, it's not because profits have collapsed since Westminster Council banned mobile streetsigns a couple of years ago. It's not the credit crunch either, because golfers tend to have sturdy pockets. No, it's because the shop's lease is up for grabs. The tenant is on one month's notice, so as soon as some other retailer expresses interest and signs a contract he'll have just four weeks to get out. Hence the even-bigger-than-normal closing down sale, clearing out as much stuff as possible before the sad day comes.
Before you golfers start worrying too much, there's probably no rush. The closing down Golf Sale has already been running for several months, and a bunker mentality has evolved. Depressed retail conditions don't make leases on Mayfair shops look attractive, so nobody's yet leapt in to snap up number 16 Maddox Street. But an end to the economic downturn could soon see the demise of London's best-publicised golfing outlet, and bring about the disappearance of the capital's most famous fluorescent yellow sign. The final hole could be just 31 days away. Follow the arrows while you can.
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