The demise of the high street began with the introduction of giant shopping centres - Yorkshire Post Letters

From: David Waters, Dewsbury.

I have worked in the retail sector since the mid 1970s.

The changes within my working lifetime have been dramatic. Once I used to pull up and park outside the shop (for free of course) in any northern town or city and take my samples in to see the buyer, usually the owner.

Most of those have long gone. They could not compete with cheap pricing and free parking and their sons and daughters unwilling to take the businesses on when it came for retirement.

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Meadowhall Shopping Centre in Sheffield.Meadowhall Shopping Centre in Sheffield.
Meadowhall Shopping Centre in Sheffield.

The demise started with the introduction of the giant shopping centres. The Arndale in Manchester was the first I came across. Then the out-of-town mega centres came, the Metro Centre and Meadowhall with acres of free parking.

The supermarkets (again with free parking) then massively expanded their non-food ranges and took another slice of the independent's pie. Smaller out of town shopping centres followed.

The out-of-town DIY stores and Garden Centres then appeared close to every town and city. These all took trade previously carried out on the high street and then came Amazon.

When the pandemic hit there was an explosion in online shopping where millions who had shied away from shopping online got the taste. The bank branch closures that have been accelerating have only increased the problem of people avoiding the town centre. You have to ask yourself why do I need to go into town?

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Banking and shopping are done online or at a supermarket or farm shop.

The traditional high street as I knew it went many years ago. There are a few notable exceptions, mainly, unsurprisingly, in wealthier areas but the high streets of the Yorkshire market towns are mainly depressing half empty soulless places where only the brave venture out to.

Retail used to dominate the high street. To get the high street back to life based on retail is a fool's errand. Converting empty shops into flats and the services that ensue will help, but a few convenience stores and restaurants are not going to bring the high street back to life.

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