High Street Decay
There is a train of thought about the decay of the traditional high street that I think is misleading. Most local councils charged with the upkeep of the local high street launch into the "regeneration" of their environment with gusto. They pedestrianise, they reconfigure, they strip. This can often lead to sterile environments that end up as boarded up ghost towns. This "regeneration" is often quoted as the root cause of the decay of the high street but I'm not sure it is ... I think its Supermarkets.
When I was a kid, a supermarket (like the co-op) just sold food. I remember going with my parents maybe once a week at most and we got a small selection of foods that were not carried in the smaller shops locally. It was more of a special occurrence and not something that anyone considered doing on a regular basis.
The birth of the modern supermarket, the one that sold clothes, electricals, insurance and now health products and mortgages is a modern phenomena. The goods and services that existed on the high street in the 70's and 80's are no longer the purview of the small retailer you would have found on the high street. The supermarket with its insane purchasing power and its ability to scale up to any height required is what has truly killed the high street in my opinion.
Small boutique shops and the medium sized retainer that inhabited the high street no longer really exists. The mantra for any new entrant to the retail space is to "get big quick" - and the sell out. If we could turn back the clock knowing what we know now then curbing the growth of supermarkets would surely be high on the list of changes.
There is a train of thought about the decay of the traditional high street that I think is misleading. Most local councils charged with the upkeep of the local high street launch into the "regeneration" of their environment with gusto. They pedestrianise, they reconfigure, they strip. This can often lead to sterile environments that end up as boarded up ghost towns. This "regeneration" is often quoted as the root cause of the decay of the high street but I'm not sure it is ... I think its Supermarkets.
When I was a kid, a supermarket (like the co-op) just sold food. I remember going with my parents maybe once a week at most and we got a small selection of foods that were not carried in the smaller shops locally. It was more of a special occurrence and not something that anyone considered doing on a regular basis.
The birth of the modern supermarket, the one that sold clothes, electricals, insurance and now health products and mortgages is a modern phenomena. The goods and services that existed on the high street in the 70's and 80's are no longer the purview of the small retailer you would have found on the high street. The supermarket with its insane purchasing power and its ability to scale up to any height required is what has truly killed the high street in my opinion.
Small boutique shops and the medium sized retainer that inhabited the high street no longer really exists. The mantra for any new entrant to the retail space is to "get big quick" - and the sell out. If we could turn back the clock knowing what we know now then curbing the growth of supermarkets would surely be high on the list of changes.
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