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I don't disagree about shops. In general the only shops with a future in town centres are those where shopping or services in-person is essential or advantageous, hence why we have a plethora of hairdressers, tattoo shops and dog grooming parlours. Thats why I'd much rather see a leisure offering than shops.

Surely if the population of a town increase there must be more businesses groups think there is more chance of a new business surviving. As long as the main center of the town has adequate parking near to the where the bulk of the retail, or leisure, facilities would be. If Bedlington housing estates were built up to Nedderton would the new house owners shop in Bedlington or travel to Morpeth to shop? Not that I have been onto any town centers in the last four years (or more) but I am informed, by the misses, that the town centres of Ashington, Station Road, and Morpeth, Bridge Street and Newgate Street are just as bad as every other town - there are more charity shops than retail shops. But we have to admit that it must be extremely difficult for local councils to compete with the on-line shopping revolution. All our area's local town's folk are part of the Amazon revoloution :- Bedlington population = 18,740 Morpeth population = 14,017 Ashington population = 27,764 Blyth population = 37,339 AMAZON Prime customers = 200,000,000 + Most Important Amazon Stats in 2022 1. 50% of the entire ecommerce retail GMV in the US goes to Amazon. Regardless of the aspect you decide to examine, Amazon market share in 2021 was quite impressive. According to one estimate, about 50% of the entire ecommerce market belongs to Amazon, which is a fascinating figure. In terms of the number of items on the market or the number of independent merchants on this platform, Amazon is always ahead of its competition. 2. Amazon had over 1,468,000 employees worldwide in 2021. (GeekWire, MarketWatch, Statista) Another curve that keeps growing is Amazon employment statistics. In April 2020, Amazon employed 935,000 workers. Since July 2020, this number has officially exceeded 1,000,000. The number kept growing and expanding to reach the last known record of 1,468,000 employees at the end of 2021. 3. In 2021, Amazon had total revenue of $469.8 billion. (Amazon) The question that probably interests people the most is Amazon revenue. In 2021, Amazon brought in $469.8 billion in net sales. This is a staggering figure and an increase of 22% compared to 2020. 4. The number of third-party sellers on Amazon is over 2 million. (Forbes) An interesting fact about Amazon is that not all products are sold directly by this platform. Amazon allows third-party sellers to set up their own marketplace and sell directly to customers (and pay a fee to Amazon). 5. In 2021, 60 thousand Amazon sellers surpassed $1 million in sales. (Marketplace Pulse, Statista) Third-party sellers sell the majority of products on Amazon. Numbers show that in Q3 of 2021, 56% of all products sold on Amazon were sold by third-party sellers. Crucial Amazon Stats by Country and Demographic 6. 150.6 million people in the US used the Amazon app in September 2019. (Oberlo) One of the most impressive Amazon statistics shows that this platform had 150.6 million app users in September 2019 in the USA alone. Sure, the USA is the single largest Amazon market, but that doesn’t change the fact of how monumental this figure is. Also, this is a huge triumph for both m-commerce and ecommerce. 7. Amazon’s annual net sales in the UK were $26.48 billion in 2020. (Statista) According to the latest Amazon statistics for the UK, the retailer’s annual net sales was $26.48 billion in 2020, which shows that the UK was and still is the second-largest Amazon market. The popularity of Amazon voice-activated speakers in the UK is quite impressive, and so is the Amazon Prime Video membership in this country. In other words, the UK is quite Amazon-oriented. 8. There are two millennial shoppers for every baby boomer using Amazon. (RepricerExpress) One of the most important things about Amazon’s demographics is that millennials dominate this marketplace. This is hardly surprising, given the fact that millennials are more tech-savvy than baby boomers and, on average, have much more money than Gen Z. 9. 67% of Amazon shoppers prefer to use a desktop or a laptop computer. (Oberlo) Speaking of demographics by device usage, it’s important to mention that about 67% of all Amazon shoppers prefer to use a desktop or laptop computer. In comparison to the rest of the world of ecommerce where mobile devices are quickly becoming a driving sales force, this figure is quite impressive. 10. 80% of Amazon shoppers are homeowners. (Revuefy) One more statistic that may reveal the purchasing power of an average Amazon shopper is the fact that 80% of them are homeowners. Furthermore, about 45.9% of them are married, 57.4% of them are blue-collar, and 34.5% of them have a bachelor’s degree. In other words, an average Amazon shopper is someone who would rightfully be considered a pillar of society by the majority of metrics. 11. For 82% of people, price is the leading factor when deciding whether to buy on Amazon. (Oberlo) When choosing a product, price is one of the main factors for 82% of Amazon buyers. While the item availability may play a part locally, the majority of buyers are willing to endure the long delivery time. If they find the product at a lower price, they will probably purchase it. Amazon Prime Statistics in 2022 12. In 2021, there were more than 200 million Amazon Prime subscribers. (Oberlo, Amazon) Among the most relevant Amazon user statistics, there’s also the question of Amazon Prime subscribers’ number. This is important since they are the most loyal and most committed of all Amazon users. Currently, there are more than 200 million Amazon Prime subscribers worldwide. Out of the 200 million, 153 million are in the US. 13. 10 million Amazon Prime items are eligible for one-day delivery. (DMR) One of the interesting Amazon Prime facts worth mentioning is that there are about 10 million Amazon Prime items that are eligible for one-day delivery. Sure, the majority of ecommerce shoppers don’t expect expedient delivery, but in some industries, this can definitely be a deal-breaker. 14. Amazon Prime members spend around $1,400 every year. (Statista) One of the most relevant Amazon Prime vs Amazon statistics shows that Amazon Prime members spend substantially more than non-prime members. Latest surveys have found that Amazon Prime members spend around $1,400 every year, while non-prime users spend an average of only $600 every month. 15. According to the latest info, 10.1 million households in the UK had Amazon Prime Video. (Statista) Apart from being a specialised ecommerce marketplace, Amazon is a massive conglomerate. As of lately, they are diversifying their offers with platforms like Amazon Prime Video. As the latest available stats show, Prime Video has 10.1 million subscribers in the UK. This places it just behind Netflix and Amazon, which is fairly impressive for a newcomer to the industry. This also contributes to the Amazon growth over the past five years, as the service gained nine million subscribers in the UK alone. 16. Amazon has numerous other subsidies. (Revuefy) Amazon Prime and regular Amazon are not the only two types of service Amazon has on offer. Other companies that everyone has heard of are Audible (a major audiobook platform), IMDB (the movie review website), and Twitch (a popular streaming platform). In other words, Amazon is a conglomerate that has been diversifying and expanding. Amazon Prime Day Statistics 2021 17. In 2021 on Prime Day, spending through all ecommerce sites in the US reached $11.2 billion. (Digital Commerce360, Statista) This is a slight increase of 6.1% year-over-year, as the total spend in 2020 amounted to $10.4 billion. The two-day event dominated Amazon product sales statistics, but it also increased online sales for a range of competitors who offer discounts at the same time. 18. Amazon’s revenue on Prime Day 2021 was 29% higher than on an average day in June. (Digital Commerce360) Prime Day increased not only Amazon’s revenue but also the revenue of other, smaller ecommerce sites. Their revenue on Prime Day increased by 21% compared to other days in June. 19. The average Prime Day discount was 13% lower in 2021. (Digital Commerce360) As inflation and supply chain issues shake the world, Amazon’s sellers kept discounts at more modest levels in 2021. At the same time, the average order value rose by 7% and the number of orders decreased by 8%. In short, merchants kept prices somewhat higher to alleviate the general market’s negative effects. 20. Spending through affiliate channels grew 163% on Prime Day in 2021. (Digital Commerce 360) Amazon’s Prime Day has an effect on the entire ecommerce ecosystem. Stats from last year illustrate the value of having diversified channels. Social media sales saw an increase of 106%, orders generated by email campaigns rose 161%, paid search grew by 132%, while affiliate marketing proved its worth with a 163% rise. Amazon Products Statistics 21. Electronics were the most popular product category in 2019, with 44% of USA shoppers purchasing them via Amazon. (Oberlo) According to Amazon product sales data, about 44% of USA Amazon shoppers bought electronics via Amazon in 2019. The reason behind this is that the cost of these products on Amazon tends to be considerably lower. Also, the delivery time is quite expedient, and Amazon enjoys a relatively high level of consumer trust. 22. In 2016, Amazon earned $4.3 billion more from hard copy books than from e-books. (Markingblog) When talking about the Amazon book sales statistics, the majority of people focus on e-books. However, Amazon earned $4.3 billion more from hard copy books than from e-books in 2016. This shows that the printed versions are still more popular than e-books. 23. In 2016, self-published books made up about 60% of all e-books offered on Amazon. (Markingblog) Platforms like Amazon Direct Kindle Publishing allow independent authors to self-publish their books on Amazon. This is an incredibly popular and lucrative trend nowadays. One of the most unexpected Amazon e-book sales statistics claims that 60% of e-books offered on Amazon are self-published. 24. Audible offers over 100,000 unique titles. (Markingblog) Another interesting Amazon seller statistics is the one regarding Audible. This is the single biggest audiobook database that offers 100,000 unique titles. The project keeps expanding, and the popularity of audible seems to be growing with each passing year. 25. There are five categories in which Amazon has more than 90% of market share. (Revuefy) Regarding Amazon ecommerce market share, there are five fields in which it has more than 90% of it. We’re talking about the home improvement tools market (93%), skin care market (91%), batteries (97%), golf (92%), and kitchen and dining market (94%). These are the fields where Amazon is expected to dominate for years to come. 26. There are 12 million items on Amazon across all categories and services. (RepricerExpress) One of the fascinating Amazon statistics on products shows that this online marketplace has an inventory of around 12 million items. However, this number is incomplete because it excludes all the markets and third-party sellers. If we take into consideration all of them, the figure would quickly exceed 350 million items. Interesting Amazon Facts 27. Amazon.com had more than 2.7 billion visits just in January 2022. (SimilarWeb) So, how many customers does Amazon have worldwide? According to some of the more interesting Amazon facts, there were about 2.7 billion visits on Amazon.com just in January 2022. While not all visits are by unique users, the number is still fascinating. Out of this number, 1.1% of visits came from the UK. At the same time, there were 418.7 million visits to Amazon’s UK site. 28. There are about 300 sales every second on Amazon during the Christmas season. (Adext AI) Beyond doubt, the most impressive Amazon product statistic is the one regarding their sales during the Christmas season—300 individual sales per second. Sure, this part of the year is significant for traditional retail as well, but numbers like these are entirely outlandish. Also, this doesn’t mean that Amazon is doing much worse during the rest of the year. 29. 89% of customers say that they trust Amazon more than other ecommerce sites. (Oberlo) One of the biggest challenges of the ecommerce world is related to trust. Here, Amazon is head and shoulders above its competition. As many as 89% of all buyers say that they trust this platform more than any other ecommerce site. Numerous factors influence their opinion, ranging from familiarity with the platform to the fact that Amazon has been in the industry for years. 30. Amazon shipping cost grew by $23.2 billion in 2020. (Statista) According to Amazon shipping statistics in 2020, Amazon’s shipping costs grew along with its rising sales. The shipping costs hit $61.1 billion for the entire year. In 2019, the figure was at $37.9 billion. When it comes to the number of items, there are no statistics more recent than 2017 at the moment. According to that last report, more than 5 billion items were shipped via Amazon Prime in 2017. While there are no similar records for the last four years, the rising shipping costs indicate that the number has grown proportionally. 31. In 2012, Amazon bought Kiva Systems for $775 million. (The New York Times) Not all of Amazon’s workforce is human. In fact, this company commits to robotisation of their workforce so much that they’ve bought Kiva Systems (renowned robot makers) for an incredible $775 million. Amazon efficiency statistics show that these systems allowed Amazon to fairly quickly and efficiently robotise their warehouses. Although the price sounded incredible at the time, it has paid off relatively quickly. 32. Amazon once lost $5.7 million because the website was down for just 49 minutes. (Revuefy) To show how monumental this company actually is, we will mention that it once lost $5.7 million simply because the website was down for about 49 minutes. Of course, if such a thing were to happen nowadays, the losses would be even bigger. Conclusion In 2022, Amazon is one of the world’s leading conglomerates. For a while now, it’s been the biggest name in the ecommerce industry, but it has recently demonstrated that it can also be competitive in the entertainment industry. The Amazon market share seems to be growing every year, and Amazon sales statistics sound impressive with every new report. As for the inventory of Amazon, the company seems impressive in both software and hardware categories. Most importantly, Amazon has marked continuous growth for years now, and the progress doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Even the year 2020 that was quite disastrous for most other industries didn’t seem to upset Amazon sales numbers. In other words, Amazon is the true titan of the industry, and it will certainly continue to be in the future.

Nedderton village must be first on your list! I'll be in touch to explain why soon.

I think the only good point to come out of this evenings local news was that the BBC presenters managed to say, after months of practise, Cammus and not Cam - bois.

If my memory serves me well, there were 2 Pavilions at the Station Welfare Park. The main one was where your 4 arrows are pointing in your montage of photos. This overlooked the bowling green and tennis courts and was used, I believe by people who played those sports. However, there was another Pavilion used by the football teams with home and away changing rooms which was located at the other side of the tennis courts, just prior to where the proper football pitch was. If Eggy can remember, Sunday afternoons in 1968ish when all the lads from the Station would congregate after being at pubs & clubs for pre Sunday lunch drinks and play a game of football (that ranged from 8-16 -a-side) on the large, rough field (piece of land) that was behind the football pavilion and ran at 90 degrees to the proper football pitch. This field was where the A-Pit annual Gala would be mostly held. This field (piece of land) can be seen in the above photos, the image at the top right of the montage, with the word google printed on it. The actual football pitch was above the light coloured track that runs diagonally, in the very top right of this photo. Some of the football team photos that are on this web-site were taken in front of the Football Pavilion/Changing Rooms.

People live longer and stay in their homes longer. Children grow up and have relationships and families of their own. Parents don't want their children and families living with them ever. Both parents need to work to buy property. Unlike the major part of the 20th century where a family member stayed at home to raise children and when the children started school the parent had time to walk up the high streets, talk to friends and neighbours, and use the local shops. Now most supermarkets are not only selling our food they have expanded into - clothing - electrical goods - insurance - etc. etc. etc. undercutting small family run businesses and have forced the small retailer to close. Especially for working parents buying a home add the convenience of the www and online shopping, where most goods are kept in large warehouses eg. Amazon, and again undercutting high street businesses no wonder most retailers are not prepared to open new high street, or even shopping centre premises. In any town is it the councils fault that the economic structure of the world is changing? The world, including Bedlington, needs more dwelling places. ps - I no longer live in Bedlington, I have lived in Seghill for the past 14 years. Seghill (population approx 3,500) needs more houses but unless they take the surrounding farm fields to build more houses the younger generations have to move away to areas that are expanding their new properties. pps. - my wife hates having to use the local food shop as she says everything on sale is priced higher than at the nearest supermarkets.

I want to give notice that I'm resigning as secretary of the Bedlington Origami Club - there's just too much paperwork. I have this recurring nightmare that I'm locked inside a supermarket and can't get out. This has been going on since I was lidl. Breaking news, the Liverpool manager has resigned, he's taking his family back to Germany. The Klopps went back this weekend.