Sad demise of the high street

The rates and council taxes in our (economically poor) town are astronomical. Parking charges are ridiculous and we are losing shops on a weekly basis and I suspect our small Debenhams will be the next to go. The council are clueless and just don’t seem to be able to join the dots.

My town doesn't have a bank although it is a World Heritage Site which attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, however non of the shops on the high street belong to any chain at all, all family businesses. The butcher is the best butcher in Wales (that's official) Is this unique I wonder?

Tax online retailers and delivery companies at a rate commensurate with business rates payable based on square footage by department stores. That might redress the balance slightly, keep department stores open as pleasant places to visit and shop as well as preserve the jobs of thousands of staff. Improve public transport to avoid the need for parking.
Out of town shopping centres with parking are good for food shops.
I'm only really talking about the department stores like Debenham and House of Fraser. Och. Don't get me started on disappeared department stores, my specialist subject.

I dont live in the UK but visit regularly, my old hometown Liverpool is seething with designer shops, in Liverpool One, a huge area with only well known brands, people come from far and wide to shop there.We have a house in Kendal Cumbria, where they have just opened a Sainsburys, apart from Sainsburys there is Morrisons, Asda and a Tesco local, these are a little outside the town centre, it will affect local business, which is shame as this little Town is so nice, with independant shops, wonderful surroundings etc, a pleasure to be there. I hope on-line shopping, together with huge supermarkets poping up will not will not be the demise of this lovely Town.

A random theory: It would seem that the national obesity epidemic is running in tandem with the escalation in online shopping - after all, if you've let yourself go to pot, weight-wise, then sending for your togs via the Internet is the perfect way to avoid a personal Walk Of Shame to the clothes rail with the XXXL sizes, is it not?

Plus, if the tent you ordered isn't quite the right fit you can just send it back discreetly. No shopping outlets involved so bye-bye shopping centres - not to mention all those jobs. Where does it all end? At the local Job/JokeCentre?

I liked our little Debenhams, but it went years ago. The nearest one is now set to close,but it was a mess on the ground floor and the top floor, only the ladies clothing was laid out attractively - I will miss their lingerie department

I made a fairly rare trip into my local town the other day in search of some new winter jumpers. Every one of the chain shops, Next, New Look, Dorothy Perkins et al had rail after rail of cheap and nasty acrylic rubbish. Some if it already beginning to bobble!
Eventually found a couple of acceptable items in White Stuff. I'd really rather pay a bit more fore one decent item than buy any number of the majority of what's on offer.
I've started to buy a few items online made from bamboo. Super soft and I really hope more eco friendly, but why couldn't I find anything even vaguely tempting on the high street?

'I don't know about your three anus
grumppa but it seems someone is helping things along.'

Recently emailed a large High street clothing chain to ask why they don't stock clothes above a 14/16 instore as they sell up to size 22 online. Disappointingly I had a generic email in reply. Surely they are actively encouraging online sales at the detriment to our High Street. I often want to shop in town and bring my instant purchases home, not wait in for deliveries, but come home empty handed. Big stores like John Lewis and Boots both didnt hold lipstick colours in store and told me to go home and order online, but l had paid my parking ticket ( very expensive in our town) and wanted items straight away. This happens so much. John Lewis doesnt have prices on small items and l asked for the price of a butter dish to be told l could download the App and scan the barcodes on all items to get prices! I dont want too! My phone battery goes down quick enough without doing that. It seems my happy and successful shopping days out are becoming fewer.

I don't often go into our local larger towns now (say 4 times per year). I prefer to stop in an out of town complex with free parking, easy access and very little traffic jams. I can wander from one store to another, and take goods straight back to the car in a shopping trolley. They have even opened a good card shop there now, and a Boots and a M & S food hall.

I do still enjoy going to a couple of smaller market towns, which have some lovely individual shops and nice cafes.

Things have really changed in recent years. I think high business rates and high car parking costs have been the main cause of the demise of the high street, plus online shopping.

Use them or lose them!

On my recent and first trip to Birmingham the Grand Central development did not give any hint of austerity!

I don't know about your three anus
grumppa but it seems someone is helping things along.
We have been involved in starting a community shop selling mainly local food , run at the moment by volunteers but hopefuĺly one day able to employ staff. It's being paid for by selling community shares.
It has become quite a hub and when its finished will include facilities for disabled people and some workshops.
It has been an uphill struggle though with an unhelpful council at least at the start.
We hope it will gradually encourage other businesses too. I don't think we'll ever attract the big high st names but as they are falling like nine pins perhaps it's as well.

I heard a radio programme not long ago, saying that all the resources for reinvigorating urban centres have been poured into the big cities and the towns have missed out.
Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Glasgow have all become ‘destinations’ where people will go for mini breaks or cultural activities.
Towns need some sort of attraction, whether it’s theatre, a music venue, a historical site or a grand hotel to lure people in for things other than just shopping.

I mentioned one pub. There is one casual menswear retailer. Three anus has me totally baffled! There is also an artshop and a couple of mini supermarkets. I am told there used tobe a brothel.

My point is that some small high streets do tbrive, but town planners need to be flexible about large premises that are no longer commercially viable. To replace them with flats, say, would remove a couple of eyesores and increase the number of shoppers.

But no clothing retailers! Three anus??

Pubs??

Our local suburban shopping street has a Tesco Express, a Co-op, a specialist cake shop, an independent butcher, two chain chemists, a tattooist, a betting shop, more cafés and restaurants than I could get through in a week, three anus, two undertakers, a pub, a cycle shop, several estate agents, hairdressers and nailbars; opticians and chiropodists, and a private school... BUT a large empty retail unit that used to be another supermarket, and another large one that used to be a baker. How these will be filled I don't know. Parking is problematic.

I really like M & Co too. Sadly there isn’t one near here so I only get to visit one when we are away. To day on the news there is talk of Debenhams being in trouble. I do like some of their ranges.

The rot set in when planning authorities gave permission for all those out-of-town shopping centres. Once all the chain stores had come out of the town centres and scattered themselves into three or four different parks around every town, clothes shopping, for example, became impossible. M&S was in one shed development, but Next isn't in the same one, it is in another development 2 miles away. Primark is in another one. They were all soft targets for online shopping because they had made shopping so difficult. Once the big stores left town, so did many shoppers. I think many might come back if the chain stores moved back into town.

I have noticed that M&Co who only site branches in town centres in secondary towns and shopping areas are still growing, profitable and opening new stores. There are branches in all the smaller towns I shop in and I always look in in passing. They are not oversized and I can quickly see whether they have anything that might interest me.

Smileless we had a lovely small independent toy shop in town where the owner was very involved in community events etc. It closed last year partly the rise in rates but also that customers would go in, look at the toys instore then go home and buy online. So sad

Mr. S. retired 3 months ago and we closed down our furniture retail business that was established by his GGF in 1890.

A sad day but also a huge relief as we could see how trade was being affected by on line shopping. We would have people coming in, sitting on suites, going through pattern swatches and testing out beds before going away and ordering on line.

On numerous occasions we'd be asked to match an on line price only to find that once the delivery charge they'd have to pay was taken into account, we were the same and often slightly cheaper.

M&S have always been dreadful in organising their various bloody collections. When I regularly bought smart black trousers (as my work outfit basics) I would go to M&S as they do 'short' length but I would have to do circuits of the store to find all the options available and end up carrying several pairs of size 14 short black trousers, in varying styles, round the store to make sure I had not missed the perfect pair!

I went into our local city centre to buy mother of the bride outfit, was totally ignored by the shop assistants in John Lewis, Debenhams and M&S. By contrast the there was a lovely lady in House of Fraser who helped me put my outfit together all at more than 50% discount!! Nuff said I bought outfit and have sourced fascinator from a small business locally. M&S make things particularly difficult to buy in the shop - needed a long sleeve top for the gym and after having walked round shop floor twice, got told that all sports wear is now in lingerie department - no wonder most people shop online - so much faster and easier

It is probably far too late. We are all so keen to save on our purchases.. for reasons as varied as really 'can't afford it otherwise' to ' miserliness' and everything in between that we have embraced online impersonal shopping so wholeheartedly whist also wanting our High Streets to thrive. We cannot , it seems, have our shops and our bargains too!
The pressure on local councils, through central government cuts, forces up business rates which cripples independent businesses and cuts the profit margins for larger stores.

In our small town we still have a few independent shops (baker/greengrocer/butcher/fishmonger etc) plus a few chains e.g. EWM, WH Smiths, Waterstone's and two large supermarkets. Town council work hard and put on various 'events' to encourage footfall into town and build up community spirit. In the larger nearby town we still have a House of Fraser & Debenhams.. but maybe not for much longer!