Report finds that half of shoppers take no pride in their local high street
A new report has revealed that less than half of consumers are proud of their local high street.
The report by uSwitch.com and conducted by research company EasyInsites, found that only 49% of UK shoppers took pride in their local town centre and 25% used to be proud, but aren’t any more.
The main reasons given for the verdict were poor choice of shops (41%), high prices (29%) and shabbiness (12%). 22% cited parking costs as an issue while 25% lamented the fact that the recession has closed shops down.
Two in ten shoppers said they had turned their backs on their local high street and chose to shop in shopping centres, retail parks or online instead. Just 6% of loyal shoppers said they used their high street religiously.
69% of shoppers felt that boarded up and vacant shops were the main reason why high streets looked shabby and with many saying that high rents and rates made it harder for small businesses to compete with the big retailers.
Despite this, 24% of people said they would like to see their local town centre get a new lease of life through the arrival of a big name department store, and almost two in ten (19%) said would like to see more independent retailers such as florists, greengrocers, bakers and butchers.
The majority of those surveyed (97%) said they cared about their local high street with 61% saying that it was vital to the community. 67% said they supported the independent Government Review headed by retail guru Mary Portas. As part of the rescue plan, they would like to see free car parking to encourage shoppers back into town (76%), more variety (41%), cleaner pavements and streets (54%) and fewer charity shops (42%).
Ann Robinson, director of consumer policy at uSwitch.com, says: “Britain’s High Streets should be the lifeblood of the local community – instead they are dying on their feet. High rents, rates and the recession have forced many retailers off the High Street altogether, while preventing new independents or start-ups from taking their place. Consumers often blame the larger retailers for the lack of choice on our High Streets, but the reality is that very often it is only the draw of a larger store that is keeping some town centres alive.”
She added: “The good thing is that 97% of consumers care about their local town centre – they want to see it thrive and they would like to be able to spend their money there. We are living in financially difficult times so anything that can relieve this pressure, such as free car parking for shoppers, will go down well. Yes this would cost local councils money, but we would all see the reward in a boost to civic and community pride.”
