Use it or lose it: UK high street crisis

No sector has felt the effects of the pandemic more than shops and hospitality, as they face the worst decline on record.

 Stores are having to do what they can to attract customers to come in, even if that means they have to put items on sale. (Credit: Gemma Lavers)

The news on the high street often gives the impression the future will be bleak, but behind the scenes retailers are continuously creating new strategies in a last attempt for survival. It's no secret that our high streets have been struggling for the last decade, battling against the high costs of running stores, the lack of people working in city centres, and the convenience of online shopping. 

But then came the Covid-19 crisis, where customers were left with no choice but to shop online and forego bricks and mortar stores.

This Christmas brought even more chaos to shops as the omicron variant took hold in London, meaning less shoppers came out over one of the busiest Christmas shopping weekends of the year. The final weekend before Christmas, the 18th and 19th December is a key period for stores as shoppers cram in their final round of present buying before the big day.

Cities and towns across the UK are being affected by the high street crisis. (Credit: Gemma Lavers)

Prioritising people

Now, we demand more from stores. We don't want to take the trip into town to simply buy clothes, we want a day out, an experience with friends, somewhere where we can begin the day in a shop and finish the day in a pub or restaurant. 

Nike's flagship store in London demonstrates the effectiveness of creating an in-store experience, as it offers customers more than just a traditional sports store. The technology in NikeTown invites customers to interact with their state-of-the-art football boot fitting machine, video gait analysis and NikeID personalisation service. 

Customisation will be a key part of the reinvention process as current trends show that consumers want to buy unique clothing, or items which they are able to put their own personal twist on. At the moment, stores which offer a 'day out' are limited, but adaptable brands like Primark have followed in Nike's footsteps in focusing on what they call "an enhanced shopping experience."

NikeTown offers customers the ultimate personalisation service. (Credit: Oxford Street)

People make the trip from all across the UK to visit the worlds biggest Primark in Birmingham, which offers a day out within the store itself; boasting a beauty salon, hairdressers and the only Disney cafe to exist outside of their theme parks. 

Reinvention is the answer

Retail brands can only change their marketing strategies to an extent, and it's clear the answer lies in reigniting the excitement of a day out shopping. Persuading the customer to get off the sofa and into town can be challenging, but not if they have something interesting to come out for. 

With creativity, and by blending the online with the in-person, technology can transform our high streets back into the bustling social hubs they once were. 

I headed into Leeds city centre to investigate whether the future of the high streets lies in our hands. You can watch my television feature piece below.