Skip to content
Search
AI Powered
Latest Stories

'High Street revival too big a job for local authorities'

Storm Ciaran
(Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
Getty Images

The fortunes of struggling High Streets can not be turned around by local authorities on their own as the job is too big – but building wide-ranging partnerships can revive local retail in 2024, a new report has stated, urging councils and government to encourage a new approach to turning around struggling high streets.

A recent report, published by the Institute of Place Management (IPM) at Manchester Metropolitan University, which runs the Government’s High Streets Task Force, has identified some of the key challenges uncovered from visits to over 140 towns over the past four years.


The report also found that 60 per cent of towns visited by High Streets Task Force experts did not have an activation plan and were not running sufficient activities, events and festivals to attract people in to use their town centre. Further analysis also found that only 35 per cent of place visions behind funding bids were deemed to be transformational and that over 30 per cent of local authorities requested delays to support services by the Task Force due to a lack of staff.

With recent news reports suggesting that a lack of resource was a major contributory factor behind levelling up funds being unspent, the IPM points out that an average local authority can have between three and seven retail centres within its boundary, which results in a struggle for resources to support them all.

Professor Cathy Parker, Co-Chair of the IPM at Manchester Metropolitan and Research Lead for the High Streets Task Force, said, “over the last four years, our team of experts has seen lots of good practice but there are many worrying examples of silo thinking holding towns back.

“Over 40 per cent of towns we visited had no real partnerships or place governance to deliver the transformative change that their high streets need. This means they weren’t working with the business community, community organisations or other partners such as police and housing organisations to develop plans or a compelling place vision.

“On top of which they had chronic staff shortages, which often resulted in only a few people from broad roles such as economic development being nominally responsible for place development across many town centres.

“As a result, projects don’t command the full confidence of communities, were delivered in a disjointed manner and are not getting the expected returns on investment. There is a huge amount of latent resource, passion for communities and local expertise that they are just not tapping into.”

Matt Colledge, Project Director for the High Streets Task Force, added, “For some time now, the end of the year seems to trigger virtually the same reports. Black Friday begins earlier, Christmas sales are weak and more casualties are predicted in the New Year.

“If we are going to escape this Groundhog day then we need a mindset change. It’s not sustainable to bank everything on one or two long-term capital projects, high streets need to see immediate changes and you only get these quick wins with robust partnerships.

“High streets have been over simplified for too long and we need to see the same mindset shift that we saw in health, which has put partnership working at the centre of dealing with myriad issues in a complex environment. Unless we change our approach to high street regeneration, we simply won’t deliver the change that our towns are crying out for.”

More for you

‘Spooktacular’ store POS drives sales, customer engagement for Nisa retailer NP Group

‘Spooktacular’ store POS drives sales, customer engagement for Nisa retailer NP Group

As the final key retail season of the year approaches, Nisa retailer NP Group is gearing up for Christmas with a renewed focus on store activation and point-of-sale (POS) strategy to drive sales following a successful Halloween.

With seasonal shopping trends in full swing, effective in-store activation and visibility are crucial for smaller retailers to capture customer attention and keep up with larger competitors. Data from Retail Economics shows that UK shoppers spent approximately £10 billion on seasonal products in 2023, with Halloween contributing £650 million alone, marking a steady increase in seasonal shopping over recent years.

Keep ReadingShow less
Post Office cash deposits and withdrawals
Post Office, DPD partners to rollout ‘Click and Collect’ services
Post Office, DPD partners to rollout ‘Click and Collect’ services

Most Horizon scandal victims say it 'destroyed relationships'

Around two thirds (65 per cent) of people affected by the Horizon scandal have said it impacted their family and relationships, while many respondents report estrangement from family members because of the scandal, according to a paper published today (1) by the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry’s listening project.

The paper title In Your Own Words illustrates the various challenges the Horizon scandal has inflicted on people’s relationships, with respondents reporting the breakdown of relationships, estrangement from family members, and acute loneliness. Some adult children of former sub-postmasters shared how they experienced bullying, financial issues and mental health struggles because of the scandal. Others reported how their parents have died before knowing the truth about the Horizon scandal, which magnified their grief.

Keep ReadingShow less
Wholesalers give cautious welcome to Reeves' budget

iStock image

Wholesalers give cautious welcome to Reeves' budget

The wholesalers have welcomed several measures announced in Chancellor Rachel Reeves's first budget but have raised concern the increase in National Living Wage and Employers National Insurance contributions will add an estimated £110 million in direct wage costs to the wholesale sector.

The wholesalers also pointed out that the lack of clarity on business rates reform means that wholesalers operating large physical premises remain disproportionately impacted by high rates. Without meaningful reform and a set timeline, these businesses will continue to shoulder a heavier burden than those in sectors with minimal property overhead.

Keep ReadingShow less
New benefits scheme for Fed members

New benefits scheme for Fed members

The Federation of Independent Retailers (The Fed) has launched an exclusive benefits scheme for Fed members.

Called FedPlus, the scheme offers a range of discounts on a host of goods and activities, from everyday purchases to luxury products.

Through FedPlus, Fed members will have access to a range of fantastic money-saving benefits covering a wide variety of areas – from health and well-being to home and car essentials, and from food and drink to fashion and tech, entertainment, travel and experiences.

There is a Savings Calculator to show how much has been saved, based on monthly or annual spending, on a range of everyday categories. The Savings Calculator will generate a personal savings total and provide links to the individual deals.

Launching FedPlus, National President Mo Razzaq said: “In my inaugural speech at the Fed’s Annual Conference in June, I spoke about the importance of providing more benefits to help members make money, save money and make business easier.

“Just four months on, we are delighted to bring you FedPlus. This is an exciting new addition to our ever-growing list of member benefits which brings you quick, at your fingertips access to several offers across a wide range of categories so the money in your wallets and purses goes even further in these financially strained times.”

Members can access the scheme through thefedonline.com website. It went live yesterday (October 31).

FedPlus is managed and run for the Fed by Parliament Hill Limited, which has been providing benefit management solutions for membership organisations for the past 20 years. Top name companies offering discounts include Virgin Experience Days, Nuffield Health, Hotpoint, Halfords, Boots, Curry’s and EE.

Tom Sparke, joint managing director and client services director at Parliament Hill, said: “We are looking forward to working with the Fed to assist them in the fantastic support that it provides for its members.

“The Fed has a strong commitment to supporting its members, which aligns with the Parliament Hill ethos of placing the needs of our clients’ members at the heart of what we do.”

Carlsberg Zero
Competition watchdog begins Carlsberg, Britvic merger probe
Competition watchdog begins Carlsberg, Britvic merger probe

Carlsberg shifts marketing focus as drinkers choose cheaper beer

Brewer Carlsberg is shifting some of its marketing focus to cheaper brands, it said on Thursday (31), as consumers in major markets bought cheaper beer and in reduced quantities.

The maker of Kronenbourg 1664, Tuborg and Somersby said beer sales volumes fell by 1.3 per cent in the third quarter, noting declines in China, France and the United Kingdom. Premium sales fell 0.5 per cent in the quarter."In Western Europe, there's no doubt that the average consumer is holding back," CEO Jacob Aarup-Andersen told Reuters.

Keep ReadingShow less