I think the High Street as we knew it, is possibly never going to be the same. Last week I went to Lowestoft, which has sadly been going downhill for some years, and it is quite a poor area now. The High Street is mainly charity shops, and cheapie shops. There is still a M & S but it's not a great store.
A new complex has now partly opened on the edge of town, with free parking. It has The Range, card shops, Costa, Aldi, Greggs and more to come. It was so busy.
Today I went to Woodbridge, a busy small market town but no big shops like M & S. It is a more prosperous area, it was thriving. Lovely individual green grocers, butchers etc and nice cafes, a M & Co, a great shoes shop, and a home store, not chains.
I am not sure why one works and another doesn't. The price of parking was a bit cheaper in Woodbridge.