Skip to content
Search
AI Powered
Latest Stories

Barclays predicts revival of local stores in post-pandemic Britain

Barclays predicts revival of local stores in post-pandemic Britain

Britain's retailers could open thousands of local high street stores over the next 12 months as people start to step out again after months of coronavirus curbs, according to research from Barclays.

With home and hybrid working patterns expected to continue into 2022, a quarter of consumers surveyed by Barclays say the best way a retailer can attract them is by opening stores in their local area rather than in city centres.


"E-commerce has been the undisputed winner of the pandemic but not far behind are community high streets, as shoppers seek to 'look local' and support the stores on their doorstep," Karen Johnson, the head of Retail and Wholesale at Barclays Corporate Banking, said on Thursday.

A switch to more local stores would reverse a trend that has seen community high streets decline as shoppers first migrated to out-of-town shopping centres and then went online.

While online retailers such as ASOS and Boohoo have seen their sales soar during lockdowns, many high street retailers including Marks & Spencer, John Lewis and Dixons Carphone have been closing stores.

Over 17,500 chain store outlets vanished from high streets, shopping centres and retail parks across Britain last year, according to data compiled by Local Data Company for accountancy firm PwC.

Barclays, which said it surveyed more than 300 senior retail managers, said that 18 per cent of retail businesses with 10 or more employees are eyeing community store openings, with each of them looking at five new premises on average.

It said in total that meant there was potential for up to 17,000 new local stores across the UK.

More for you

A woman enters the Selfridges department store

A woman enters the Selfridges department store on December 13, 2024 in London, England

Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images

Retail faces mixed fortunes in 2025 amid cost pressures, AI opportunities, and high street revival


The UK retail sector is bracing for a challenging but opportunity-filled 2025, according to Jacqui Baker, head of retail at RSM UK. While the industry grapples with rising costs and heightened crime, advancements in artificial intelligence and a revival of the high street offer potential pathways to growth, she said.

Keep ReadingShow less
unsafe soft drinks seized in Southend

Unsafe soft drinks seized in Southend

Photo: Southend-on-Sea City Council

1,100 unsafe soft drinks seized in Southend safety crackdown

Southend-on-Sea City Council officials have secured food condemnation orders from Chelmsford Magistrates Court, resulting in the seizure and destruction of 1,100 unauthorised soft drinks.

The condemned drinks, including Mountain Dew, 7-UP, Mirinda, and G Fuel energy drinks, were found during routine inspections of food businesses across Southend by the council’s environmental health officers.

Keep ReadingShow less
Charity Super.Mkt at Brent Cross Shopping centre in north London

A customer browses clothes inside Charity Super.Mkt at Brent Cross Shopping centre in north London on, December 17, 2024

Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images

Brits kindle Christmas spirit with second-hand gifts

Bursting with customers one afternoon the week before Christmas, a second-hand charity shop in London's Marylebone High Street looked even busier than the upscale retailers surrounding it.

One man grabbed two puzzle sets and a giant plush toy as a present for friends, another picked out a notebook for his wife.

Keep ReadingShow less
Nothing is more important than your Mental Elf

Nothing is more important than your Mental Elf

Lancashire Mind’s 11th Mental Elf fun run was its biggest and best yet – a sell-out event with more than 400 people running and walking in aid of the mental charity, plus dozens more volunteering to make the day a huge success.

The winter sun shone on Worden Park in Leyland as families gathered for either a 5K course, a 2K run, or a Challenge Yours’Elf distance which saw many people running 10K with the usual running gear replaced with jazzy elf leggings, tinsel and Christmas hats.

Keep ReadingShow less
A woman walks past a window display promoting an ongoing sale

A woman walks past a window display promoting an ongoing sale, on December 13, 2024 in London, England.

Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images

Retail sales disappoint before Christmas

UK retail sales rose less than expected in the runup to Christmas, according to official data Friday that deals a fresh blow to government hopes of growing the economy.

Separate figures revealed a temporary reprieve for prime minister Keir Starmer, however, as public borrowing fell sharply in November.

Keep ReadingShow less