As we enter 2025, we ask Birmingham locals what should be done to breathe new life into High Streets and town centres. From supporting local businesses to tackling empty shops, what changes do they think will make a real difference?
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00:00Make them more friendly, more welcoming, you know, and the rents are too high for the people to rent the shops out.
00:07It's just, you know, it's just the economy at the moment, it's terrible.
00:11I think it's to lower the rents for businesses.
00:13Yeah, that's so true.
00:14It's in the centre of this big city.
00:16Yeah, it is ridiculous. I mean, if they offered, you know, lower rents, like the Birmingham markets,
00:22the rent is so expensive there that the people in the stalls struggle to keep it up.
00:27Because you're there for a day and then you're going to be paying loads of money just to keep the shop open
00:32and then you're not making that same money back.
00:34So I think it's really hard for businesses to stay open when they can't even afford to be there in first place.
00:39I don't know, I think a couple, I think it's good that a couple of new shops have opened in the Bullring
00:44to replace like Debenhams and stuff.
00:47I think whatever's supposed to replace John Lewis, I think it's quite an empty space in Grand Central
00:53so it'd be good if something opens there to make it a bit more busy
00:56and like exciting for people who are travelling through the area.