Championing
County Durham’s
high streets
STREET
LIFE
F
Graham Soult – founder of retail consultancy CannyInsights.com, a Fellow of the
Institute of Place Management, and a director of Durham Business Group – gives
his views on how our region’s high streets can thrive…
rom some headlines, you might
imagine that Britain’s high streets are
desolate wastelands.
Of course, it’s tough out there – rates
and rents are high, shopping habits are
evolving, consumers are strapped for cash,
and we still have the B word.
But in the face of these challenges, many
businesses and towns are proving both
resilient and inventive.
Most high streets are far from dead
Indeed, one of the biggest challenges I
find is persuading local people that their
nearest town is worth a visit.
Chester-le-Street, for example, where
I manage the “Shop Chester-le-Street”
campaign, is awash with independent
cafes and shops, selling everything from
local crafts to vintage records, glamorous
ladieswear and healthy dog food.
It’s not about managing decline, either
– November saw five new businesses open
in the town centre, and St Cuthbert’s Walk
shopping centre has fewer empty shops
than in years.
Embracing “Shop Local”
Plenty of other retail centres across County
Durham and Wearside can tell similar
positive stories, with pop-up shops like
Durham’s A Local Love doing great work
promoting interesting regional producers.
Certainly, future high streets will be
more local, distinctive and fun, appealing to
those senses that ecommerce stores just can’t
reach.
Indeed, as shoppers tire of boring old
brands, messaging that appeals to their desire
for more sustainable, authentic experiences
is really resonating.
One of the most high-profile initiatives
is Small Business Saturday each December
– this year’s was on the 6th – but there are
similar “shop local” campaigns all year
round, many making creative use of social
media, and as useful for networking as they
are for reaching new customers.
For example, #IndieHour takes place
on Twitter every Tuesday at 8pm, and is a
friendly forum for independent retailers to
share experiences and tips with other indies
from around the UK. With lots of retweeting
going on, it’s great for exposure too.
Similarly, independent shops and makers
can join the fantastic “Just a Card” campaign,
based on the power of lots of people making
small purchases – even just a card – from
local businesses.
Also, more than 80 UK towns participate
in the grassroots Totally Locally campaign,
designed to keep money in the local
economy.
In the North-East, groups of local
volunteers and business owners in Durham,
Guisborough, Hartlepool and Stockton are
already involved, with more places signing
up all the time.
Everybody wins if you collaborate
Totally Locally’s focus on grassroots
collaboration is absolutely key – the towns
that are thriving are often the ones where
all key stakeholders are working closely
together.
That can include councils, Business
Improvement Districts (BIDs), and local
businesses themselves, as well as, like in
Chester-le-Street, retail property landlords
and the town’s Business Association.
Collaboration is great for coming up with
ideas and making things happen.
Over the Christmas period, for instance,
Chester-le-Street Business Association
organised both an Elf Trail and a shop
window competition – getting shoppers
and shops actively involved, inspiring lots
of great social media content, and, most
importantly, giving people a reason to visit.
We can all do our bit
So, at the same time as encouraging people
to give their local towns another look, there
are plenty of positive things that places and
businesses can do – and are doing – to keep
themselves going into 2020.
We can’t turn back the clock, but with
creativity and collaboration we can make
sure our local high streets are more
interesting and enjoyable than ever.
wear.business – the voice of business for the Wear region
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