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As I write this Mary Portas has just announced her plans for regenerating the high street in Great Britain via a 50 page report, which, I hasten to add, I haven’t read!
She acknowledges that the “high street” is at crisis point with shoppers deserting the hub of their community for the out of town retail park. It is the growth of the latter that has resulted in many of our high street shops closing,leaving hoardings where shop windows should be, which further decreases the attractiveness of the high street to consumers. A vicious circle!
However, it does appear that in some parts of the country independent high street retailers are thriving. I hope so as we supply these as part of our core customer base as well as the “out of town” farm shops and garden centres. Look at the success of Christmas markets which have regenerated some town centres at this time of year. And in my home town of Cirencester, we are lucky enough to have two delicatessens, two butchers, a greengrocers, a cheesemonger and a fishmonger – four of which have opened within the last two years – and I hope are all taking business away from the town centre Waitrose and Tescos.
One of the biggest gripes from the report seems to be the rising cost of town centre parking. I have just been into Cirencester and paid £1.30 for an hour’s parking, and whilst there saw three traffic wardens giving people tickets – and Cirencester really isn’t that big! Pretty short-sighted of the local councils to sting drivers from coming to town centres, which in turn encourages them out to out-of-town shopping centres, leaving shops closing and no longer paying their business rates. It takes a lot of parking charges to make up the annual business rates for a single site.
I have (as always) been asked frequently over the last few weeks how Christmas is going. I refuse to answer, saying that we have done our part, the shops are heaving with Christmas stock – the key is the next 10 shopping days to Christmas. Will it be a good one? I will let you know in January.
Happy shopping! And do please boycott the large chains where possible!
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