Oakwood Discussion

[Matt N]

I do find it bizarre they are still holding onto Oakwood despite them not wanting to open it

I fully agree with this. Surely in Aspro’s shoes, you’d want to offload to the highest bidder as soon as possible?

 

[rob666]

But I would ask once again; how is a small zoo in Folly Farm seemingly surviving and going from strength to strength within the same locale if the location is the primary factor in Oakwood’s demise?

Different market, and far far less staffing costs.
Rides need far more staff than goats.
And need far more visitors to make it worthwhile opening.

 

[IDB]

Holidaymakers aren't throwing the same money about.
Those with the money have gone off on thirty quid flights.

Haven't particularly got the money, but I have just booked a trip to Emerald Park which has cost less than it would have been to make a trip to South Wales and I'll get there and back quicker.

 

[Enter Valhalla]

I don’t agree that the location was the biggest problem with Oakwood, but I agree that it was part of the problem.

If they’d invested wisely and creatively, and made the entrance fees reasonable, I definitely think it could still be open.

Poor decisions under the previous owners with the installation of Hydro, and then Speed which I doubt they could really afford at the time, together with overspending unnecessarily (let’s not forget that pre-Aspro the park was open 10-10 every day in August including Sundays when it was dead, and there were staff everywhere), resulted in the previous owners getting into a load of debt and then having to sell the park.

Aspro then came in and arguably cut back on everything and had very little willingness to invest. Aspro were always like this, they cut back on everything, but I think the fact that Aspro managed to operate Oakwood in this shoddy way for 17 years before it shut down, shows what a strong product it was and therefore how with better decisions from up high, it could have been far more successful.

 

[MaxPower]

Oakwood lived off nostalgia for the place and what it was in the 90s for many years.

The market has changed significantly since then and the park never adapted or invested. It could still work in my opinion but it would have to be scaled back from what it was.

 

[Hid]

Oakwood lived off nostalgia for the place and what it was in the 90s for many years.

The market has changed significantly since then and the park never adapted or invested. It could still work in my opinion but it would have to be scaled back from what it was.

But other parks have also lived off Nostalgia to and still survived

 

[Quantum]

Lack of long term investment and planning kills parks. They get locked into a cycle of maintaining what they have at increasing cost while not bringing in anything new. Attendance declines which in turn puts people off visiting, further justifying the lack of investment.

It might look like nostalgia but it is on fact a basic business strategy that has failed time and time again with Oakwood being the latest victim. If you stand still for too long you get left behind.

 

[Matt N]

But other parks have also lived off Nostalgia to and still survived

The parks that do that successfully tend to have brand recognition on their side.

One example of doing this successfully is DLP. The main park hasn’t had a new ride in 20 years, but the raw power of the Disney name keeps it going. People have an attachment to Disney, and that pulls families back year after year despite the lack of new rides.

Is Oakwood a brand that people have an emotional attachment to in the same way? Absolutely not.

 

[MaxPower]

DLP keep their parks immaculate though, Aspro not only didn't invest in new attractions they left existing ones and the infrastructure of the park to rot.

People in the area who knew Oakwood or visited as kids remember how good it used to be, but there's nothing sadder than going back to somewhere like that and finding it in the state it was in.

We stayed in a local B&B the last time we visited and the family who owned it had fond memories of the park in the late 90s / early 00s and they hadn't gone back due to customers saying it was looking run down.

Then there was the accidents on Hydro, Bounce and Treetops aswell.

 

[Ash]

Lack of long term investment and planning kills parks. They get locked into a cycle of maintaining what they have at increasing cost while not bringing in anything new. Attendance declines which in turn puts people off visiting, further justifying the lack of investment.

It might look like nostalgia but it is on fact a basic business strategy that has failed time and time again with Oakwood being the latest victim. If you stand still for too long you get left behind.

I’d agree but has been said, DLP hasn’t installed a new ride in years.

Yea it’s had the studios to expand and rightly so, but the main park went for quality over anything else and it lasts. Especially with updates and good maintenance

 

[Quantum]

I’d agree but has been said, DLP hasn’t installed a new ride in years.

Yea it’s had the studios to expand and rightly so, but the main park went for quality over anything else and it lasts. Especially with updates and good maintenance

This is true but both Disney and Universal parks are the exception. The power of thier IPs remain a strong pull regardless of if there are new rides or not. That's not to say they are imune from it but they certainly have more resilience and the pull factor beyond rides themselves.

 

[Bones]

So sad what has happened all because of Aspro

I wonder what the McNamara family are thinking