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A number of Southend town centre shops lie empty after a challenging year battling the coronavirus pandemic. The retail sector and outdoor hospitality were finally allowed to reopen on April 12, but some stores appear to have remained closed for good. As a result of the numerous lockdowns, many businesses have had to rely on government grants and schemes to survive. With about 17 shops standing vacant in the high street, business bosses and Echo readers have banded together to come up with ways to breathe life back into the high street. These were units that are no longer trading and are either on the market or closed down with no news to report on - with the count beginning at the top of the high street near WHSmith down to the bottom near The Royal Hotel.
With a number of stores standing vacant in Southend High Street, Echo readers have revealed what they want to see in the town in years to come. We asked you guys what shops you would like to see open on the high street in the future, and received over 100 responses filled with ideas of ways to breathe life back into the town. Sharna Marie Alderman would like to see a business selling things that families can take up together - such as roller skates, ice skates, baking kits and outdoor activities. While Liz Alsop would love a Pret a Manger and Flying Tiger.