THE FUTURE OF THE HIGH STREET
there is value to having activity above ground floor retail premises and that planning policies should be changed accordingly. “In many respects, it doesn’t matter what that activity it is. “Offices, flats, student a c c o m m o d a t i o n , education establishments, entertainment venues all have a part to play in creating a vibrant place where people want to live, work, shop and play. “Landlords need to do
“I am sure that in the future we will touch and feel our products in smaller concept stores, but not necessarily buy online. “More and more ‘experience shopping’ outlets will exist where you touch and feel, but purchase elsewhere. “Think about it, it’s what Apple do now. You go into their shop, you look, touch and feel the product but you don’t necessarily buy in store. Other retailers have followed that theme. Tesla do it. Dyson do too. “That actual purchase is made online, but both parts are vital. You don’t do one without the other. “The crucial thing is that when you’re doing that first part, you want somewhere to eat, drink and be entertained. “All that needs to be part of the condensed central core that will be the modern high street”.
similar. There are too many institutional landlords that are beholden to pension funds or the bottom line and failing to adapt and think ‘what if.’ “If Cavendish House in Cheltenham or Debenhams in Gloucester were to leave, there wouldn’t be a single- use occupant to replace them. “The landlords have to change and adapt.They should be thinking proactively about what will come next, even if it doesn’t seem as though it will be needed. “The high street operation is an old system and it needs to adapt and evolve to meet the modern day demands and working practices. “The growth of online shopping is unlikely to slow, retailers must embrace the online world and provide a seamless and complementary offering of both physical and online retailing.
“Retail is now just a piece of the jigsaw. A vital one, but one that won’t be complete until you add the other pieces and have someone thinking about the bigger picture” l Evans Jones are experts in planning and property with offices throughout the UK and their head office in Cheltenham. For more information visit www.evansjones.co.uk or call 0800 0014090
82 | December 2019 | www. punchline-gloucester .com
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