Excel Parking: Businesses claim firm is scaring shoppers away and 'killing' Sheffield suburb of Broomhill

'Businesses in Broomhill fear shoppers are “scared” to use the rooftop car park for fear of receiving a £100 fine. The Sheffield firm has admitted sending incorrect demands for £100 due to faulty systems.

Sheffield City Council removed short-stay bays outside shops on Fulwood Road in 2020 and spaces are further limited locally due to resident parking zones.

Tony Hussain, owner of longstanding restaurant Balti King, which closed recently, said Excel was “one of the causes” due to regularly ticketing staff, drivers and customers.

He added: “I have lost so many customers because of Excel Parking. It’s unbelievable. I must have had 15 or 20 myself. It’s killed Broomhill. If you’ve got no parking you’ve got no business, it’s as simple as that.”

Mark Williamson at Williamson Hardware on Fulwood Road said they were “desperate” for decent parking.

He said: “We have had numerous complaints from customers about Excel Parking and how it's putting them off coming to Broomhill.”

Dean Oldfield at Charles Brooks shoe shop opposite said business was the worst it's been and he is very worried about the future.

“We’ve lost up to 40 customers-a-week since the bays were removed. People say they avoid the rooftop car park - those who have been stung are not coming back. They just drive past. This business has been here for 40 years but this is a very worrying time for us.”

Clare, supervisor at Beres sandwich shop, said since the bays were removed it's been “chaos”.

She added: “Customers are saying Excel Parking is putting them off, the rooftop car park should be council run.”

Last month, Michael Rhodes, who received a £100 demand, vowed never to return to Broomhill.

Excel is a member of trade association, International Parking Community. Membership fees are determined by a firm’s parking-related turnover, leading to concerns over the IPC’s independence. Excel’s turnover last year was £12.8m.

The IPC said it investigated the faulty tickets and gave the firm a clean bill of health.

Chris Naylor, IPC membership manager, said: “Following a self-report from Excel Parking Services we have concluded our investigation. EPS recognised there was a breach of the code of conduct in their self-report. Having reviewed all the information provided to us we are satisfied that EPS have remedied the issues caused and reported the breach in the correct manner to ourselves. EPS have put in place measures including staff training to prevent the same issue occurring again in the future.”

Excel uses a DVLA database to obtain drivers’ addresses. Access can be suspended if it breaches the IPC’s code of conduct.

The Star contacted Excel Parking, car park owner Staghold Ltd, rent collector Philip Fisher LLP and the DVLA for comment.

In February, Excel revealed it had wrongly issued threatening letters due to a fault at the rooftop car park. The firm has not said how many, or over what period.

The scandal came to light after Michael Rhodes stopped there for 2hrs 24mins in December and received a £100 demand for ‘non-payment’ in January. He found a ticket which proved he paid for three hours. The Star contacted Excel and the firm apologised and paid £100 to charity.