Shoppers in cities and towns up and down the land could be forgiven for thinking the high streets are experiencing a crisis; a fight for life.
After Wilko's sad demise, we sent our reporters out to check the temperatures and feel the pulse of a number of high streets around the country, and try to gain a diagnosis from shoppers on the ground.
After Wilko's sad demise, we sent our reporters out to check the temperatures and feel the pulse of a number of high streets around the country, and try to gain a diagnosis from shoppers on the ground.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 [Music]
00:12 It's said Britain is a nation of shopkeepers, but shoppers in cities and towns up and down
00:17 the land could be forgiven for thinking that the high streets are experiencing a crisis,
00:21 a fight for life.
00:23 We're seeing a period of rapid change, driven by shifting tastes and pressure from online
00:29 competitors.
00:30 Big name outlets are disappearing at an alarming rate, and as Wilco closed the doors this week
00:35 they joined other former retail giants including Marks and Spencer's, Debenhams, Waitrose and
00:39 New Look, who have either announced store closures, gone into administration, or dissolved
00:44 completely.
00:45 A cost of living crisis and poor summer weather have combined to keep shoppers away, with
00:50 footfall down sharply in most regions of the UK.
00:54 Government interventions have ranged from the Portas review in 2011 to new powers in
00:58 the levelling up and regeneration bill to repurpose vacant shops.
01:02 Most recently Rishi Sunak made reducing numbers of empty shops part of his pitch for the Conservative
01:08 Party leadership.
01:10 In a bid to give the high street a thorough health check, we sent our reporters out to
01:13 check the temperatures and feel the pulse of a number of high streets, and to try and
01:17 gain a diagnosis from shoppers on the ground.
01:19 We'll head to Wigan, where a shopping centre has been completely demolished to make way
01:23 for a more diverse town centre offering.
01:26 In Liverpool we'll find out how their major shopping centre is bucking a national trend,
01:30 and we'll also speak to the good folk of Newcastle and Pudsey in Leeds.
01:34 But first to Manchester, where shoppers have the choice of city centre browsing or mass
01:38 shopping centre consumerism at the Trafford Centre.
01:41 The Trafford Centre is turning 25 this month and will be celebrating this milestone with
01:47 a free, feel-good, family-friendly show.
01:50 On the 29th of September, the famous shopping centre will be hosting a one-hour show, headlined
01:55 by 90 Stars Bewitched, to mark its 25th anniversary this year.
02:00 We spoke to local people to find out if the Trafford Centre is their first stop for shopping
02:05 in the city region, as it prepares to honour 25 years of serving customers in Greater Manchester.
02:11 "Well, I think it's good for a lot of people because everything's all in one place.
02:16 I think it's good for families.
02:20 And I know my teenage niece loves to go there because she can meet her friends there and
02:24 there's places to eat and have coffee.
02:27 I think I've just grown out of that a little bit.
02:28 I just like something quieter.
02:30 I like smaller places.
02:32 I don't like great big places that are enclosed, really.
02:36 But I like places like Altrincham, where it's smaller still.
02:39 One-off shops."
02:40 "It's a great place to go to shopping.
02:43 I usually go around Christmas time to do the Christmas shopping.
02:46 There's so many offers and stuff like that at Christmas."
02:50 "The Trafford Centre's easy for parking.
02:52 It's not easy in Manchester for parking.
02:54 And I think the Trafford Centre's had an overall effect on the town centre.
02:59 We do like to come into Manchester, do a bit of shopping, have a nice lunch.
03:03 I prefer strolling round."
03:06 "It's just a better ambience to be in, rather than in a closed-in area where you just...
03:12 it always seems over-busy because you're squeezing all these people into a corridor, if you like.
03:19 And I prefer the wider, open spaces to enjoy and just chill.
03:24 You know, that's just me."
03:25 "Online shopping's changed the way people shop more than anything else.
03:30 Yes, you can park, and yes, it doesn't matter if it's raining."
03:33 "Yeah, there is its plus points.
03:36 I'll give you that, yes."
03:38 "I prefer to come into the centre, in the city centre, because the Trafford Centre,
03:42 it's very old, like the same, like all the shops.
03:45 There's not really much there.
03:48 If you want something specific, it's very hit or miss, whether you get it or whether
03:52 you don't.
03:53 So, if you come into the centre, you're more than likely to get it, rather than the Trafford
03:56 Centre."
03:57 "I feel like in the Trafford Centre, a lot of the shops are expensive.
04:01 So probably here's easier to come to, and it's not as far away."
04:07 "Personally, I've only been there once, and it's a nice little aspect, just to visit all
04:13 around.
04:14 It's easier to come in the city centre, but Trafford Centre, it's nice to go visit, just
04:20 the aspect, the way it looks, and things like that.
04:23 That's what I love."
04:24 "It's nice.
04:25 I've been there a few times myself.
04:26 It's easy to get to from the centre.
04:28 It's a bus straight there.
04:29 And it is, again, it's a nice place out.
04:32 It's full, it's nice.
04:33 We've been there once, and the interior of it is beautiful.
04:36 I can't fault it.
04:37 It's a nice place to go.
04:38 For it to be 25 years old now, it doesn't look older than 10.
04:42 It's doing really good for its age.
04:44 It's a nice place.
04:45 I'm going to go there more."
04:50 In Wigan, the council bought the gallery's shopping centre in 2018 for the purposes of
04:55 halting the decline of the High Street.
04:58 A £135 million redevelopment is looking to provide a vibrant new retail, leisure, commercial
05:04 and residential destination in the heart of the town centre.
05:09 "Hello, I'm Sian from the Wigan Post, and we're here on King Street, which used to be
05:17 bustling before the pandemic and cost of living crisis.
05:20 But it's still home to the iconic Boxing Day fancy dress night out, where thousands of
05:24 people turn out in their crazy costumes.
05:27 King Street is also the centre of the Heritage Action Zone, which has involved the Streets
05:33 Apart project, which finished a few months back with a big festival on the street.
05:39 And we're here outside the Royal Court Theatre, which is currently being renovated in the
05:43 hope to bring the culture and heritage back to its former glory.
05:49 Behind me is the gallery's shopping centre, which is currently being demolished to make
05:54 way for the £125 million regeneration project, known as Galleries 25, which will include
06:00 a media centre with a cinema, a bowling alley, a few shops, a hotel and some retail space
06:08 as well as some flats as well, and a brand new market hall, which is all set to open
06:14 in 2025."
06:15 "I don't know why I spent all this money when we've not got a proper shop in Wigan
06:34 now.
06:35 There's not one big store in Wigan."
06:40 "What would you like to see come to Wigan?
06:43 If you had the pot of money, what would you like to see?"
06:46 "I'd like to see the big shops coming back.
06:48 According to FOM, they're going to come in the new precinct, but how long is that going
06:53 to take?"
06:54 "It's my first time in Wigan, you know, I quite like it, everyone seems quite friendly
06:59 around here.
07:00 I see there's quite a lot of new development around here, you know, I can't wait to come
07:03 back next time and see what's going on there."
07:05 "Since we started this building here, which hopefully brings more people after it's finished,
07:12 but at the moment it has affected businesses a lot.
07:17 A lot of customers we have lost due to no proper shop open to come to Wigan for shopping,
07:27 so they say there's no reason for us to come to town.
07:34 So there is a positive thing about this building they're doing, but the negative is a lot more
07:43 at the moment, with bringing all the dust in the town centre, people just don't come
07:51 here anymore."
07:52 Some more positive news now in Liverpool, where their city centre has less empty units
08:01 on average than other high streets in the UK.
08:07 Liverpool City Centre's vacancy rate continues to drop and is now half the national average.
08:15 Liverpool's vacancy rate is 5.4%, in the North West it's 10.4% and 11% in the UK.
08:22 The figures collated by Liverpool Bid Company and Springboard reveal the vacancy rate which
08:27 tracks empty units at ground floor level in the city retail and leisure bid area, covering
08:33 the majority of the city centre.
08:35 It's at its lowest since before the pandemic and takes Liverpool below London.
08:40 We've long been known for our sense of style in the city, but what is it about town that
08:46 attracts so many shoppers and retailers?
08:49 "We've always been blessed with the best shopping.
08:53 We no longer have to go out of town for something special, we've got everything here.
09:00 It really is an excellent shopping hub.
09:03 It's pedestrianised, it's all good brands and people in Liverpool have a good idea of
09:09 bargains, so I think we're in a good position."
09:14 "The city centre is always full, Church Street is always chocker, whether it's a Monday,
09:20 Tuesday, weekend, whenever, it's always full and yeah, we love shopping in Liverpool.
09:26 Always have done."
09:27 "Oh, it's a lovely place.
09:29 I've never been to a place like it.
09:32 Simple as that.
09:33 You know, if you want to go anywhere in the world, most people come to Liverpool."
09:41 "They always have the finger on the pulse.
09:44 Might seem a bit outrageous sometimes, but you only live once, don't you?"
09:50 The vacancy rate in Liverpool has seen a drop after rising during 2021 in the pandemic when
09:57 it reached 9.8%.
09:59 This follows a national trend.
10:01 But what about those places where we used to love to shop until we dropped, that we've
10:07 now lost?
10:08 "You know, Woolworths and Blackleys and things like that going back all them years, you know,
10:15 Littlewoods and things like that, you know.
10:18 But as things go on, everything changes."
10:22 "Well, I go back a long way obviously.
10:25 So I remember the days when Lewis's, Blackleys, obviously Marks and Spence still here, Henderson's,
10:35 all those shops, all those stores were absolutely fabulous.
10:39 You know, I remember as a kid, I think it was the fourth or fifth floor in Lewis's was
10:44 the toy floor.
10:45 And it was just totally toys.
10:48 And I used to love going there with my mum, you know, yeah."
10:52 "In my day, we had here, CNA Modes, which was like the place to go when you got your
11:02 wages, and Chelsea Girl, all of those were along this street."
11:12 So the bigger cities are showing some welcome resilience, but how about the smaller high
11:17 streets?
11:18 Let's drop in on Pudsey, a small market town in the city of Leeds in West Yorkshire.
11:24 "The changes in the businesses, obviously, I remember back to when there used to be quite
11:28 a lot of pubs.
11:29 There used to be The Junction, and what's now Witherspoon's used to be The Black Bull.
11:35 And then there was further down, there used to be The Crown, which is shut down.
11:38 So there's quite a lot of pubs that have gone.
11:41 There seems to be a lot of like barbers opening.
11:44 And I think really it's, they've overdone it a bit with the number of barbers really."
11:48 "I've lived in the area for 50 years.
11:50 I like Pudsey.
11:51 Unfortunately, in that two years, it's got a little bit naughty with antisocial behaviour,
11:57 particularly with the bus station.
12:00 But there's a lady who goes around Pudsey that I've got to mention that cleans.
12:04 She's just a volunteer, picks litter up, and she's just amazing.
12:09 So as far as the centre and Pudsey in the whole goes, it's nice.
12:13 It's really nice.
12:14 Unfortunately, we've got a lot of big empty buildings, i.e. banks, that have closed.
12:19 And the one over the road there, the Halifax, is due to close in November.
12:24 And that is not right.
12:25 And that is not fair for particularly the older people, even though I'm one of them."
12:29 "The place is brilliant.
12:30 It's quiet.
12:31 There's a good elderly population and a beautiful countryside.
12:38 So it's a nice, peaceful, heavenly place.
12:42 It's got its ups, but what I've found basically, one thing, what I would probably want to see
12:49 more of in the high street is probably more of the presence of other shops like Tesco,
12:55 Express, Asda, to give the shop a choice."
12:58 "It's a nice town.
12:59 It's a nice city.
13:00 I mean, we get, you know, it's kind of quiet.
13:04 But I mean, improvements, I wouldn't know really.
13:07 I mean, maybe less of that, you know, them little kids on the bikes who zip up and down
13:14 in the late at night.
13:16 I mean, it's not really a problem in the morning, but it is just getting a bit annoying at night
13:20 and that."
13:21 "Not lived here very long, probably only a few weeks.
13:25 But we do know the area.
13:26 We're fairly local to put it.
13:30 It's nice.
13:31 It's got what you need basically.
13:35 The park is lovely.
13:37 It's well maintained.
13:39 And it's a pleasure to walk around.
13:42 I'm not a drinker, so pubs don't, whether they're here or not, it doesn't worry me.
13:46 There's one or two nice eating places, so that's good.
13:50 I don't know.
13:52 I suppose for the people that do like to socialise more, the old pubs have gone and that's a
13:58 shame.
13:59 It seems to be more for the younger generation than the older."
14:03 "I'm due to start a new job and the easiest way is to get trained.
14:07 And I've heard that the ticket offers at new pubs is due to be closing down shortly, which
14:11 is OK if you do it online.
14:14 You can do it by card.
14:15 But if you want to pay by cash, you have to do it through the ticket office.
14:18 There's not an option to buy your ticket.
14:20 So that's a bit of a bugbear really."
14:26 Back to another main city centre now which has seen some heavy losses of big names recently.
14:31 What do shoppers think of Newcastle's city centre?
14:34 "Do you still shop on the high street?"
14:39 "Not particularly, no, because I think we're finding there's an awful lot of shops have
14:43 closed down and where I live in South Shales and Jarrow, a lot of them are just, like Wilco's
14:49 just gone this week, Poundland went a few years ago, Argos has closed.
14:54 Really they're getting quite desolate.
14:57 I do like high street shopping because I like fresh produce, bread, fruit, that type of
15:01 thing.
15:02 But I'm afraid the shops aren't there to shop in them now.
15:04 Newcastle has changed over the 40, 50 years I've lived here.
15:08 You walk up, as I say, the roads here and you see all of the closed shops.
15:13 A lot of them are specialist as well and I wonder where people are getting the money
15:17 from in such hard times."
15:19 "Do you still shop on the high street?"
15:21 "I do, yeah."
15:22 "Why do you still shop on the high street?"
15:24 "I've got my free bus pass so I come to the town every day.
15:30 It's just cheaper than going to these local shops."
15:33 "Do you still shop on the high street at the moment?"
15:35 "Not a lot, it's mostly online, yeah."
15:38 "Why is that?"
15:39 "I just find it quite depressing coming in the town now because everything's half closed
15:43 or it's not as it was when I remember."
15:46 "Do you still shop on the high street at the moment?"
15:49 "Sometimes I do, yeah.
15:50 Yeah, I do."
15:51 "Why do you still shop on the high street?"
15:53 "Charity shops.
15:54 Love them.
15:55 Bank.
15:56 So."
15:57 "Well, this is what we were saying.
15:59 A lot of people don't have any money, any spare money whatsoever.
16:02 Mortgage rates are going up.
16:04 Household bills are going up.
16:06 So really it's quite - people are struggling but they seem to be out and about.
16:10 But if you look at the demographics here, if you have a look, they're all people of
16:15 mature people who are out shopping, similar age to myself, very few young ones."
16:21 The high streets in Newcastle are forever changing with more and more places opening
16:26 and closing.
16:27 "Even going back to the time that we asked people if they shopped on the high street
16:31 earlier in the year, Granger Street has changed so much.
16:34 With different shops opening, different restaurants and there's even some development going on
16:38 behind me.
16:39 But it sounds like a lot of people in Newcastle still shop on the high street."
16:45 Many have not lasted on the high street as people now turn to online shopping.
16:49 The latest shop to announce their closure is Wilco's and the people of Newcastle seem
16:53 to be pretty gutted that it is closing.
16:55 "I'd generally go into Wilco's every Saturday.
16:58 So it would be a big miss."
17:00 "And what are your thoughts on Wilco closing as well?
17:03 Because that's a big, it's going to be a big miss."
17:05 "It's dreadful.
17:06 I mean, it's just people's jobs all over the place, isn't it?
17:08 It's everywhere and it's just shattering.
17:10 It's shattering people's worlds.
17:12 But this is the world we live in at the moment, where this country anyway, it's gone to the
17:16 dogs I believe.
17:17 So, don't know what the answer is, but it looks like nobody else does either, so here
17:21 we are."
17:22 "What are your thoughts on Wilco closing down?"
17:24 "I'm actually going there now to pick up some stuff.
17:28 I think it's because of other stores, the same, selling the same, are opening up all
17:32 over the place.
17:33 And I think they're just one of the same.
17:36 And I think it's just the weakest has gone down, basically."
17:42 To Sheffield now, home of the retail mecca of Meadowhall, boasting 1.4 million square
17:47 feet of floor space, some 290 stores from top independent and international brands,
17:53 50 places to eat and drink, and an 11 screen cinema.
17:57 But when you have one of the UK's leading shopping and leisure destinations on your
18:00 doorstep, what does that do to your city centre?
18:04 "My name's Ben Miskell, I'm chair of the Transport Regeneration and Climate Committee
18:10 at Sheffield City Council, and I'm responsible for regeneration in the city centre.
18:15 Behind me you can see some of the wonderful things that are happening on Fargate, it's
18:20 really changing, and as you can see from people, they're really enthusiastic about it.
18:24 At the moment we can see that there are boards at the back, but actually we are going to
18:29 have some sustainable urban drainage systems right in front running through Fargate, which
18:35 will mean it looks absolutely wonderful, the greatest green scheme.
18:39 Above the shops we are going to be bringing other uses, and that means office space, workers,
18:45 people who are using this space, and bringing it much more back to life.
18:50 So over the next six months we're going to see a very different type of Fargate."
18:55 "The plans for the future look pretty good, I'm quite excited as to what Sheffield will
18:59 look like maybe three or four years down the line.
19:02 I think in the middle it's a pretty grim place, for all sorts of reasons, it looks like a
19:11 building site, because it is a building site, with empty shops and so on.
19:16 So I'm just, I'm sort of gritting my teeth and just hoping to get through it and that
19:21 things will be better in a few years' time."
19:23 "It's terrible, it's really bad, it's been neglected.
19:29 The council are neglecting people's needs, getting into the centre, their cars and things,
19:37 there's nowhere to park without it being expensive."
19:40 "What about the revamp of Fargate?"
19:43 "Well I've not got a lot to notice, if it looks OK when it's done, yeah that'll be OK,
19:47 but I don't know what to plan."
19:50 "I'm on Charles Street and Cambridge Street, right in the heart of the city development
19:55 and it really is wonderful.
19:57 We are starting to see new businesses come here, new cafes and actually new residential
20:02 developments, so just at the back of me some of my friends have just moved in, it is a
20:05 wonderful apartment.
20:06 And that's part of the wider story here, we want to make sure that City Centre is a sustainable
20:12 neighbourhood for people to come and live and spend money in shops and cafes and local
20:18 businesses and we want 20,000 more people to come and live in the City Centre.
20:22 And the benefit of that is it also protects the greenbelt space across the city as well."
20:26 "It's improving, that's the main thing, it's improving, getting better, getting there,
20:31 that's what you want to see isn't it?
20:34 You know, when you've bought a new shop, you want it to get better and better, that's the
20:40 main thing."
20:41 "So you can see at the moment that you've got new retailers like Sostrum Green that
20:47 have opened up, you've got Marmaduke's and that's its second cafe in the City Centre
20:52 and also we're looking out towards Pound's Park which is a really brilliant space for
20:57 families to come and enjoy and we want to make sure that the City Centre is a place
21:01 that people can live, a sustainable neighbourhood, but a great place for families to come and
21:05 enjoy.
21:06 Also, you've got a food court that's going to be open as well and so many other exciting
21:12 things that are happening in the City Centre."
21:15 So finally, back to Wilco, which fell into administration in August after grappling with
21:20 sharp losses and a cash shortage.
21:23 The range has struck a £5m deal to buy the Wilco brand after a rescue bid for the wider
21:27 business collapsed.
21:29 But the deal will not prevent Wilco shops disappearing from the UK high street and nearly
21:34 all of the company's 12,500 staff will lose their jobs.
21:38 "Do you think you'll miss Wilco once it's gone?"
21:41 "Yeah, I shop there quite frequently to be honest, it's where I go to for all my home
21:45 stuff and toiletries and things like that.
21:48 It's right across the street from my work so I go there quite frequently."
21:51 "I suppose it's one of those like everything stores which is so easy to pop into and get
21:54 a few things, a few errands all at the same time?"
21:57 "Yeah, it's more of like a, I go there maybe once a week, kind of just grab odd bits.
22:03 It's that thing of where are these people going to find another job, especially in retail
22:07 these days it's very difficult because a lot of employers are cutting hires, cutting down
22:13 their staff so it is unfortunate."
22:15 "Yeah, definitely.
22:16 I suppose on top of the fact that it's just a useful thing and it employs a lot of people,
22:20 it's also like a historic brand, like it's been around since 1930 when it opened its
22:24 first store.
22:25 So I suppose it's a shame on that front as well to lose part of the British high street
22:28 which has heritage."
22:29 "Yeah, exactly.
22:30 Like it's, you expect to see it.
22:32 It's one of those things that, you know, I'm from Ireland originally and we don't have
22:36 Wilcos over there.
22:37 So whenever I came over here it just became that thing that you associate with the British
22:43 high street.
22:44 So it is going to be sad if it does close down, yeah."
22:46 "Yeah, do you think it's just another victim of e-commerce and people just taking their
22:50 shopping online?"
22:51 "Well yeah, I guess so.
22:53 It's so easy to buy stuff online nowadays but, you know, as someone who works on the
22:57 high street it's just so convenient to pop in and not have to wait for stuff to get delivered
23:01 and pay delivery fees and stuff like that."
23:02 "My name's Jean and my thoughts about Wilcos going really is really sad because there's
23:09 so many things I went in there for, like animal food, cat food and bird stuff, that are bound
23:16 to be more expensive in a pet shop and I suppose you have to try and look online or somewhere.
23:22 And then it's a lovely shop to walk around with lots of different things.
23:26 I really love the shop and the staff are lovely.
23:29 The thought of all those people out of a job is really sad.
23:34 It's really a shame that someone couldn't have saved a few of the shops at least.
23:40 When I come shopping every week for food, you know, go into a food shop, I always go
23:45 to Wilcos first.
23:46 Because it's mostly things like animal food, cat food and so on.
23:47 I just love the shop, it's a great chance."
23:47 "I'm a big fan of Wilcos.
23:48 I've been here for a long time and I've always loved the shop.
23:49 I've been here for a long time and I've always loved the shop.
23:50 I've been here for a long time and I've always loved the shop.
23:51 I've been here for a long time and I've always loved the shop.
23:52 I've been here for a long time and I've always loved the shop.
23:53 I've been here for a long time and I've always loved the shop.
23:54 I've been here for a long time and I've always loved the shop.
23:55 I've been here for a long time and I've always loved the shop.
23:56 I've been here for a long time and I've always loved the shop.
23:57 I've been here for a long time and I've always loved the shop.
23:58 I've been here for a long time and I've always loved the shop.