Is retail still alive where you live?

[JaceLancs]

My local city is fairly run down with lots of empty retail and business properties
However, I live in a village and retail is thriving - we have everything from local butcher to pet shop, gift shop, post office, bakery and a reasonable choice of cafes, pubs and restaurants - if anywhere comes up for let it gets snapped up straightaway
I also live near to other similar villages and suburbs on the way into the city centre who are equally as thriving
I think the free parking helps, as does a stay local and support local business attitude
I’m happy to pay more locally to avoid the costs of fuel and parking to somewhere that’s no longer a pleasant day out

I live in a wee semi-rural town in the hills of Scotland about an hour from a city. The town is considered affluent and as such there are a range of independent annoyingly high end cafes, bistros, home stores, gift shops and children’s shops on our little high street. But they are starting to struggle because people here seem to be cutting back on those luxuries and opting for l cheaper options and prioritising their 3/4 holidays a year and running their teslas and Audi 4x4s. I would love just a simple cafe that did simple affordable spuds and toasties, soups, pancakes etc.
Edinburgh princes street is half dead and historic empty buildings burnt down. Just the indoor shopping centre or retail park seem to be thriving now.

Local city is a tourist and foody spot so is still busy but with less shops, village I live in thrives with independents (and charity shops), artisan market monthly, a couple of local towns are emptied and scruffy, although one is being redeveloped in areas. Towns were ruined here by a couple of (hugely busy) retail parks

The town that I live in as far as I know is now pretty dire but if I need local shops I go to the town next door, it’s actually closer to me and there are most of the things I’d need in a hurry. Haven’t been into my local town for about 2 years at least, there’s still a Boots, a specsavers, a McDonald’s (actually a myriad of fast food and a few independents on the outskirts which I have been to), wh smiths or whatever it is now and a trespass. Maybe still peacocks and the works but I can’t be sure!
used to (and I’m going back 20 years) have a big M&S, Next, Topshop, Dorothy Perkins, New Look, Argos, Clinton’s, Faith (shoe shop?!), Topman, multiple sports shops including some specialist ones and multiple independents.

Local city still has a reasonable range of shops though the closure of Debenhams left a big hole. But retail seems to be thriving on the various out of town shopping centres.

Our town centre has been in decline for years even the budget shops Poundland,pound stretcher and most of the banks have disappeared,it's just pretty much a walkthrough now for the ferry across to Portsmouth

Our little village isn't bad: bakers, florist, pet shop, dry cleaners x 2, hairdressers x 2, estate agents x 3, beauticians x 2, plus burgeoning: physios, chiropractor, alternative therapies, etc. No banks. Mini sainsburys, dress shop, bag shop, children's shop, ciuntless restaurants and tea shops and a wedding dress shop. Would love a butcher.

Our market town, except for: M&S, Rituals, Waitrose, Oliver Bonas, an independent jeweller, and indeoendent furniture store and Clarks, is now dreadul. Primark has replaced House of Fraser and outside the shopping centre its all 2nd hand phone shops, B&M, barbers and general sh1t. Oh and a lone Waterstones. It's a downhill Slalom. Banks, BS's, estate agents and a couple of dodgy pubs.

I live fairly far out and it feels like we still live in the 1950s. Plenty of retail. Teenagers still have jobs.

I’m in London so there are two shopping parades within half a mile of each other, both REALLY successful. There isn’t a vape shop/phone unlocking shop in either of the two though you can definitely buy vapes in the newsagent.

In the one closest to me there’s a greengrocers/bakers/butchers/gift shop/chip shop/kebab shop (a really nice one)/the library/2 pharmacists/2 nail shops/a posh beauty salon/2 hairdressers/local DIY shop/florists/4 cafes/2 pubs/2 dry cleaners/a betting shop/an undertakers/2 estate agents and an M AND S Food.

I never have to go further for anything, once or twice a year I drive to Ikea or b and Q 10 minutes away.

Yes live between York and Leeds and both are thriving I’d say, also work in Manchester which is bustling.

Brighton never has empty shops. Loads of brilliant independent shops too alongside the big high street ones

I prefer internet shopping anyway so I don't really care that's it run down.

Feeling goady today are we?

No. Not at all.

My son lives in Leeds, it's a fabulous city. I don't remember seeing any empty units in the city centre when I was there last month

I live 15 minutes walk to a town and we no longer have a butcher of fruit/veg shop, it's a biggish Tesco, Iceland and an Aldi at the other end of town. We used to have a small Debenhams, BHS and M&S but they disappeared quite a few years back.

Fortunately, I live a ten minute drive to two small places that I can get fresh meat and veg/fruit without going into a supermarket.

There is also a B&M, WH Smith or whatever it's called, Next, Poundland and the usual suspects, nail bars, vape shops, barbers etc.

It's the lack of furniture stores that we used to have that's annoying, if you want a new lounge suite, bedroom furniture or anything like it, you have to drive up the motorway to a retail park and you have a choice of around 4/5 larger stores.

There's no way I would order something that expensive online without seeing it first so it's time consuming having to find somewhere when you can see the actual item.

I live in one of the wealthiest areas in the UK - and even ours isn’t great. Lots of empty units and new shops don’t seem to last long.

The main issue seems to be rent and rates - but I also think part of the issue is that because most households have two full time workers to afford to live there, everyone is online shopping for convenience / lack of time!

Weirdly, it's revived. A couple of years ago our local town's high street was full of phone shops, boarded up buildings and homeless people on matresses in the doorways of what used to be major stores. Now there are good shops, cafes, buzzing markets. Hideous old buildings have been pulled down and stylish new ones built, pretty but dilapidated buildings have been restored and turned into indie shopping malls. I have no idea where the money came from. But it's beautiful.

I suspect you are talking about Gosport. I know exactly how awful it now is as I grew up there and the High Street was a fabulous place to go and shop.

Fareham is almost as bad as I live there now. Really sad how they have gone downhill so badly. 😣

I live in Hove and my locality is doing great. I haven't been to what most would consider the high street this year, and I haven't been to Brighton in 14 years everything I need is easy walking distance

Absolutely talking about Gosport,and you are absolutely right both used to be great buzzing with shoppers especially on market days it's just really sad to see the decline.

I’m in a small market town in the SE and we have a good range of independent shops and a Waitrose but more barbers/nail bars/food outlets than I think we need. Everywhere seems to be busy though.

Our local bigger town on the other hand is awful. There are a few decent independents but the high street is beyond depressing with M&S having been replaced by a B&M and everywhere else the usual mix of discount stores, chicken/kebab shops etc.

I live equidistant from 3 ‘high streets’ and I visit another not far as it has a cinema/nice cafes.

One has fallen in to the trap of vape shops/barbers.
Some are mainly cafes - weirdly one end (my end) is more salubrious than the other.

Two have a cinema (one Indy, one Everyman) No surprise that the more wealthy areas have better high streets, although there are empty shops in all

All have fishmongers and bakers.

There is a massive proliferation of barbers everywhere.

I live in a London suburb - in a ‘nice’ area overall but def pockets of ‘dodginess’. Sme areas in my borough which were pleasant growing up have become shitholes and others that were a bit ‘nothings’ have improved. 🤷‍♀️

Leeds is def thriving! My Dd was at uni there and the town centre was always busy!

It’s okay, new town int he West Midlands, big shopping centre built in the 70s. Still has a few clothes shops, music shops, some banks, a few restaurants alongside the obligatory vape, nail and phone screen places. It’s not what it was maybe 20 years ago, but there are also at least 4 massive out of town supermarkets / b&m etc and of course the town is ram packed with Amazon deliveries. Whenever I go, I think it’s a shame it’s not busier, but then i remember that it’s been weeks since I visited and I’ve had countless Amazon and Tesco deliveries since then.

Same here. I live in a small city with an amazing history. It used to be lovely but it’s just grim now with empty shops, nail bars, barbers, vape shops, other crappy shops. Oh, and people living in shop doorways, and drunks and druggies everywhere.

We used to have loads of big shops too (Woolworths, C&A, BHS, Debenhams, Top Shop, Dorothy Perkins, HMV, WHSmiths). ALL of those gone apart from an M&S. I don’t think most of the local population ever go into the city centre as there’s very little reason to and it’s so depressing.

Whats happened to the whole country that this is occurring? Don’t the police or council have any responsibility or control any more!?