YP Letters: American shopping mall culture is here to stay

IN response to Andrew Vine (The Yorkshire Post, January 8), contributory factors relevant to the demise of high street retailers losing their hearts 
are:

n Out of town retail parks offer convenience with free parking, as opposed to the high charges levied in town centres, especially Leeds.

n Shopping, often undercover, with shops bunched together, thereby saving time for the shopper instead of trekking about.

n Internet shopping has really come to the fore offering significant savings coupled with the benefit of a vast selection of items online, often with free delivery within 24 hours and at no inconvenience.

n Excessively high business 
rates for retailers will ensure traders cannot compete effectively in relation to 
selection or price.

Andrew Vine: Government must not let online giants annihilate our high streets

The above factors will not encourage shoppers to support the high streets in our towns, nor will high business costs and reducing shoppers enable traders to sustain the levels of income required to sustain a presence in their chosen locations.

It is a fact, the shopping mall culture of the US, whether local or further afield in Britain, is here to stay and will only increase given time.