High street decline
(Shutterstock)
With high streets in turmoil and recovery slow, high street graveyards are becoming a common sight across the UK. The past 12 months have not been easy for the vast majority of companies, in particular for those without an online platform.
However, the struggle of the high street is not a new problem. Rewind a few years ago to when Woolworths and British Home Stores (BHS) were in trouble, and both eventually collapsed due to their difficulties. Perhaps this was down to reduced footfall as consumer buying habits have gradually changed over the last decade, or it could have been a natural progression in the industry’s life cycle.
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.
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