Sad demise of the high street

We too here in Letchworth have seen shops come and go.I really hope our little town of shops manages to stay.I try only to buy in town to support them, resorting only to online for something i couldnt buy locally anywhere. I love shopping here, the shop assistants know who i am and we chat like old friends, its the meeting point for my sister and i for coffee we have family birthday meals in the local resturants, we browse the charity shops, use the hairdresser and the Morrison supermarket all on a frequent basis.My bank is open 5 days a week and we have chiropodists beauty parlours and several independant shops as well as larger high street stores. There is always something going on on a Saturday and Christmas is a wonderful time in our town. long may it flourish!!!

I think we are all agreed on what has caused the rot.
In no particular order:
Internet shopping.
High rates and rents
Out-of-town retail parks.
Lack of parking and public transport.

Oh dear if I was a pessimist I'd say we are the last generation to be able to shop in our local high streets.
However, I'm still hopeful and several suggestions on this thread have been encouraging.
Free parking after 2pm.
Specialist shops and good customer service.
Sensible councils who support local businesses.
Make online businesses pay adequate rates and taxes. And so on

I hope we don't end up with a toy town of vintage or novelty shops for tourists only.

Extortionate rents and rates as well as overheads have put paid to any business on the high street. As a consequence prices have had to rise to keep up.
It's a sad time for retailers and will only get worse.

No, not muddled and not interested in your aquaintances.

Gabriella I know well how one should address a titled person - I too have acquaintances.

I think you're getting a bit muddled - Sir John Timpson (shoes and keys) is not a Lord and has never sat in the House of Lords. So you're wrong to refer to him as Lord Timpson.

Riverwalk
Yes. Sir Alan Sugar is Lord Sugar as has everyone who sits or has sat in the HoL as has Sir John Timpson.
I have a friend, the husband of whom is a titular Baron who is referred to as Lord X.
Another acquaintance, Baron Vincent of Coleshill was referred to as Lord Vincent. The way you address a titled person differs, in speech and the written word.

I live in Watford in SW Herts and our High Street has just undergone a £2million improvement, I would add this is only to the roads and pavements, not the shops! We do still have one butchers but our main market was moved to a much inferior part of town to make way for a brand new extension to our Intu mall, the main part of this being a brand new Debenhams. I was quite excited at having a Debenhams as the only other department store we have is John Lewis, but was a bit disappointed at the lack of choice clothes wise and also noticed that one floor is entirely dedicated to perfume and high end make up, with a gin bar and also a prosecco bar too!

I am increasingly irritated by the in store concessions in department stores. It is something ( I think) Debenhams started and to my mind is the cause of their destruction.

I was looking for some clothes for a couple of smart occasions recently. Went into Debenhams, got to the fashion floor all I could see was a sea of concessions, with a mish-mash of different garments; coats, jackets, dresses blouses trousers in a limited range of colours and sizes in each concession. I couldn't see which one might have the type of garments I was looking for and I really hadn't time or inclination to work my way round each concession individually looking for what they probably didn't stock. So I turned round, walked out and went somewhere else.

I went to M&S, not a store I like, in fact one I usually avoid, but in the trouser section they had a whole array of velvet trousers in a range of sizes and colours and styles. I spent some time there, tried several sizes and colours on - and then bought some. Job done.

Our Debenhams has just been refitted, so presumably not listed for closure. However, it’s exactly the same random, messy sort of store, just with the addition of some very dodgy lighting. Nothing in their ”offering” has changed at all, just been moved about a bit and given a new counter.

If you aren’t in a young age group, and want everyday clothes, there really isn’t much choice in town at all.

Lord Timpson Gabriella?

Best to get your facts right before correcting other people

not many places have individual shops ,but i try not to visit the supermarket .maybe just once a month..theres a fruit and veg market in croydon/fish shop/bakers/and other smaller shops that i buy things from...they might be a bit more expensive, but there are bargains to be had in smaller shops.and i stopped buying stuff in plastic bottles......not so easy but getting there...i wish milk was all in cartons....luckily i only drink rice/oat/almond milk and thats all in cartons

I walked into the City Centre yesterday to buy a swimsuit. Other than sports shops with racer back, chest flattening versions there wasn’t anything to be found, so I have to order one online. I really wanted to try one on, as I was hoping to find a flattering one with cups.
I asked the assistants in a few of the shops if they had any but apparently people only want to buy swimwear in the summer.
I used to love going shopping but a lot of my favourite shops have now gone. Also I wince at some of the prices. I am working full time (own a guest house) and cannot afford to pay them, so people on minimum wage, pensions or benefits must find it hard.
It will be a shame if we lose the town centre.

Independents would never come to our town . Rates are far too high and the demographic is mainly elderly retireees (ex heavy industry) and very set in their ways. Nothing left here for younger ones now.

We have recently had a very long awaited retail park open in the area. It has a variety of small and large shops, although mainly clothes. It is heaving with shoppers every weekend, thousands more than was predicted. Which just proves to me that people still like the experience of shopping. Nearby town councils are now objecting to plans to extend it to include a more diverse choice of shops, because of the impact it has had on their own town centres. My answer to that would be - lower your business rents and rates to encourage more businesses. Offer free, easy parking and make people feel that you are happy to welcome them instead of making the shopping experience as difficult and expensive as possible. Why would I pay six pounds for a couple of hours parking to visit a town where half the shops are closed and the rest are charity, coffee or fast food?

pheasant Sir John Timpson is the head of the very successful chain of shoe repair/key cutting/watch battery/passport photoing stores that bear his surname. The company are quick to develop new services when they see a market opportunity - hence the recent introduction of a passport photo services that links directly to the Passport Agency for immediate submission. They also have a strong social policy that among other things offers jobs to ex-convicts to help them get back to work and away from crime.

What is that if not retail?

I would be interested in hearing your views on what should be done to improve retail. GN is a cross section of older people,all of us shoppers and some with retail experience, who would be interested in discussing your experience-based views from their point of view.

pheasant75
May I suggest that you proofread your communication to Lord Timpson before you send any comment.
One never ever refers to a knighted person as Sir Timpson (or other surname)
It's either Sir John (in a letter/email) or Sir John Timpson ( on the envelope) followed by appropriate letters (MBE etc)

Free parking would help, what’s the point on 1 hour free slots, not even enough time for a coffee!

I think the dept store has had it’s day.In Victorian times it was a wonderful innovation, but now huge stores feel old fashioned, and the rent they have to pay is massive.
Small shops in covered shopping malls or on the High St work better for everyone.

We have 2 fishmongers, butcher, shoe-shop, hardware store, art materials shop, wool/embroidery/haberdashers, electricals and lighting, florist, artisan bakery, picture framers, shoe repair shop, wine/deli, bookshop, greengrocer, gun shop and many others. These are all independents in our small town and, until this thread, I never really appreciated just how well off we are, shop-wise.

As a retired Retail consultant over 20 years and over 50 years and operating over 100 stores through out the UK.
I have recently written to the minister in charge who has replied advising me that Sir Timpson and a group will be investigating the retail sector.
I have forwarded all info too his secretary who has confirmed she has received the info.
That s the last I heard, my own research shows that of the group involved, none have operated Retail stores
This now sounds a bit like the Mary Portus TV series !!
Today s daily express outlines a 12 point plan by the former CEO of John Lewis who is now mayor of Birmingham . he could not stop the John Lewis group from sliding downwards even with 50% of their turnover online.
Some while back I wrote to a different minister and outlined what can be done to improve the retail , no reply.
it seems to me that apart from business rates being reduced they do not listen!
The older generation have experienced what makes retail tick.
We now have many out of town shopping centers,where the council agreed to the planning,.
Yes online has more appeal to the younger generation, or where the items cannot be bought any longer in town but in general retailers don't make the effort required to attract the shopper.
I am about to have another go at Sir Timson where required show them what can be done wish me luck

We have a fairly large Tesco's plus a Greggs and a clothes shop run by a lovely couple originally from India (but I doubt it will carry on when they retire). We also have a hardware store on the opposite side and two sweetshops. No butcher/baker or grocer - we do still have our Post Office though, good job as one of the two banks is closing at New Year and we don't know how long the other will stay. The local cafe closed down and then re-opened only to close down again a few weeks ago as they couldn't compete with Greggs - mainly because of the business rates. We also have a little wool/crafts shop and a shop selling Polish produce (we have quite a few Polish families living in the immediate area) and two betting shops!

I make a special effort not to buy newspapers or magazines/cards, etc from a supermarket. Nor will I buy petrol from anywhere but an independent petrol station. Recently a fruit and veg man has opened at our local, independent garden centre - hoorah. Independent shops are probably a little more expensive, but the service is worth it. Car parking charges have a lot to answer for also, as people resent paying extra to use shops, but it can still be cheaper than postage when shopping on-line.

We live in a new town which is thriving but the towns close by are in a downward spiral with mainly empty shops and charity shops. One, which used to be s thriving market town is in danger of the market closing and several banks have closed. A news programme a few days ago said some of the empty shops in the Midlands will be turned into houses and a spokesman for Debenhams said they will be focusing more on eating and drinking: gin bars for example and beauty services.

We even have an out of town John Lewis, homeware only.

I like Wilko for a bargain, but near me they are all in town centres still, like M & Co, which someone already mentioned, and Bon Marche. I'd go in them much more if they were out of town.

Interesting thought! I would have limed an intelligent answer from the Company. I know it cant be space to hold more sizes as their shops are larger than most on High Streets. Perhaps they dont want large people seen going in their shops. Not sure... also they know fashion collaborations sell out quickly so why not order more to cope with demand. At more store they sold out on first day.