How do we save the high street?

The number 50 (or 51) to town. Pic’n’mix at Woolworths. A pasty from Reeves. Rifling through posters at Athena. An ice cream from Paniccia’s. And then Simon and Mary’s Floppy Tongue Comics, for as long as my mum would allow.

Saturdays on the high street used to be a day out. And they all had a busyness that now only Christmas Eve matches. Everyone was in a hurry, yanking kids from one shop to the next. Pushchairs would topple from the weight of bags. Buskers and teenage giggles played the soundtrack.

Nostalgia is a temptress, of course. And I am among its easiest prey. But on the matter of the high street, I believe there is a happier place between it and where we are today, where Co-op is warning that 60,000 shops and 150,000 jobs are at risk without serious changes.

We absolutely, unequivocally believe in the high street. Our work with EDF is just one area where we are trying to make a difference. And while the sweet dizziness of shopping decades ago might be beyond our grasp in a world where our thumbs handle most of our money, more needs to be done.

I wonder if part of the problem isn’t vision.

Yes, we need a better deal for shopkeepers – that’s without doubt. But the high street is, at its best, more than the sum of its parts. Online shopping will likely always win on convenience, but it can’t compete on experience, just as a Spotify stream can’t beat a live concert. The value of feeling connected to others – of being part of a community – is worth something extra.

We might well see better conditions for shop owners. But a vision for the high street has to be more than that. It must aim to make it an experience again.

Eighty-three per cent of people see high streets as vital to community wellbeing – so we know it’s more than mere commerce. It’s about emotional value too.

It’s a fact that town centres with more cultural events, pop-ups, and markets saw higher post-pandemic recovery. The High Streets Task Force learned that towns that animate the high street are more successful.

The research is there, and it’s plain to see – rejuvenating the high street means more than changes to rates. It means creating spaces where people come together to find joy, to be surprised, to feel excitement, and, for a few hours on a Saturday, to feel connected to each other.

Do that, and the footfall will follow.

As we build our next campaigns to support the shopkeepers that are the bedrock of the high street’s future, we would love to hear more from you about your town’s high street – and what you believe must happen to bring the busyness back.