As retailers continue to struggle, the Chron investigate what lies ahead for town centre shopping
General views of Abington Street showing the decline of the High Street.
THE last few weeks have seen a string of well-known High Street names join the list of shop closures in Northampton town centre.
The Chronicle & Echo reported in December that women’s clothing shop Jane Norman and milkshake store ShakeAway had shut their doors and a series of High Street doom and gloom stories followed.
Earlier this month the prospective closure of Church’s Glass & China was also announced with owner Stephen Church attributing the reasons for his company’s demise to a “combination of the state of the national economy, the state of retail generally and our sector in particular”.
While formerly well-known Northampton stores such as Woolworths and Spinadisc now remain a distant memory, the questions must be asked: what does the future of the High Street hold and can lessons be learned from the closures which have already happened?
Hugh Davenport, a senior lecturer in Organisational Behaviour, who is based at The University of Northampton, attributes many of the changes to the advance of technology in shopping trends.
He said, with the growing popularity of online shopping, the future for any remaining firms selling such items as DVDs on the High Street must look uncertain.
He commented: “Five years ago internet shopping was limited and now there is an exponential curve escalating beyond belief. But, for me, it almost dehumanises the shopping process. I can sit in on a Friday evening and get through my Tesco home shopping but there is something very social about walking around the shops, talking to staff.”
He continued: “I do think there will be a different kind of High Street and the shops that can survive will be the ones that are highly specialised.
“There are certain products you want to see, hear and feel. If I want to buy an exclusive hi-fi then I want to hear it. Clothing is a good example. You have to try them on. Although there could be the habit of trying things in store and buying them on the internet.
“Particularly things like books or DVDs really lend themselves to internet shopping. You don’t need to stand and feel a book to know you want it.”
He added: “There are still banks. There are several banks on every High Street but eventually they will disappear, already some banks are making it very difficult to do some things without having an internet account. Banking is probably one of the busiest things to do via the internet as it is not about trying on clothes, it is just about money.”
Hugh said: “I don’t think the DIY sector goes very well over to the internet as people want to go into stores and talk about things. “You might still have the niche, specialist shops where you want to go to see, listen to or try a product, but it is very difficult to foretell as five years ago I wouldn’t have been able to foresee the technological implications that have happened now.”
Many continue to be optimistic that the High Street shopping experience can survive.
According to Christmas footfall figures revealed by Northampton Borough Council, visitor numbers during December were up more than eight per cent compared with the same time in 2010.
During December 2011, nearly 1.5 million visitors were recorded as having visited the town centre.
Stephen Chown, chairman of the Northampton BID (Business Improvement District), remains optimistic that the British High Street can thrive in the future and said that a lot of hard work had been put into drawing visitors to the town, with everything from Northampton in Bloom to the Northampton By The Sea display which was held in the Market Square.
He said: “The change in the High Street is natural, 20 years ago we did not have mobile phone shops, now we have half a dozen.”
He continued: “Within 10 years I hope we will see the Grosvenor Centre development complete and that will mean the bus station has become the Fishmarket bus interchange, that will create a brand new focus, a new place to go.
“In the same 10 years as we see changes taking place for the Grosvenor Centre, it will bring larger stores and High Street brands for which, at the moment, we don’t fit into their standard offering.”
But he said that the use of the internet should be harnessed by businesses as another avenue through which to advertise and interact with customers.
Councillor Tim Hadland, cabinet member for planning, enterprise and regeneration at Northampton Borough Council, said: “You can’t ignore the rise of internet shopping but we believe, in common with most people in the county, that town centres are right at the heart of what we are and town centres are at the heart of the community.
“We as a council are engaging customers and then the businesses will follow. We started by reducing parking charges as a lot of people criticised parking as a hindrance to them coming to the town centre.
“We have improved the welcome, working with the BID, we produced an exciting Christmas for Northampton shoppers with the various events that we put on and the huge Christmas trees.
“We are trying to buck the trend. I think there is much more emphasis on entertainment and leisure time activity than there ever used to be, we need to encourage that and make sure it grows.”
WHAT do you think is the future of the High St?
Yvonne Spence, owner of Voni Blu, a clothes and accessories shop in Castilian Street, said: “I think the High Street is going through a lot of changes. A lot of shops are closing, but it will evolve and there will be inspiration for people to come back into town and back into the area.
“We will get a website. Our website is almost ready to go live and that is a big percentage of people’s business. You need to have an online presence but it is not for everyone, people still have to come in and try on clothes.”
Tony Whitestone, manager of Martin’s newsagents in Abington Street, said: “It is grim. You can’t put in the likes of Riverside etc and expect there to be lots of people in town as well.”
He continued: “I can’t see it going back to how it was. The worst thing they did was pedestrianise Abington Street. People used to be able to come for an hour and go to the library and shops. We want people in the town.”
Jonathan Williams, proprietor of Montague Jeffery, a men’s clothing shop in St Giles Street, said: “I’m glad I don’t sell books, DVDs or CDs that people buy online.
“But I do think independent retailers have a good future, it is all about niche retailing, it is about having the kind of stock the High Street chains and multiples don’t have. It is easier having the style and quality element.
“I am feeling confident about the future in 2012. I’m not saying it is easy and we are alright thank you very much, but it is about attention to detail. You need a collective of shops like we have in the St Giles quarter which are like-minded retailers with everyone trying to offer the same recipe and story.
“It is a shame that Church’s China is closing but times have changed and the retail environment is constantly evolving.”
What the shoppers say...
THE fate of Northampton’s commercial future lies not with the planners or theorists, but with decisions made by the shoppers themselves.
But what do customers in the town centre have to say about Northampton’s High Street offering and how it fits in with their own shopping patterns?
Dani Robinson, a 22-year-old full-time mum from Hartwell, said: “More designer children’s wear shops would be good. Mothercare is good but it is too far to walk.”
Ian McDougall, aged 64, retired, from Bugbrooke, said: “I’m not a big shopper but Northampton probably needs something like the John Lewis in Milton Keynes. That is one big place that is not here and I would imagine that would really add something.
“I don’t ever shop online. I think a lot of people still like to come out, especially for older people, it is just a case of seeing people.”
One Northampton shopper, who did not want to be named, said the town had a long way to go to meet the needs of its people and outside visitors.
She said: “It is a horrible, dirty shopping town, with apathy. I have lived here for 30 years and I think it is really sad.
“I can’t imagine anyone wanting to come here.
“There are three major retailers who have gone and I think how many more?
“It needs some individuality and to be somewhere people want to come.”
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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Comments
There are 2 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
fxtown
Sunday, February 12, 2012 at 09:06 AMWhat a good balanced article, well done mzsbosnan. I work in tc retail and go to meetings about this.We all mean well.From the guy who wants a northampton eye on mtk square with large boot shapes for pods.the fashion bus,the abington street flash run,the around town train .... No one likes to be called a bit dull, and the last lady in the article went further and used the words horrible-dirty- and apathetic.It's improbable that we'll ever convince this old trout, nor the similarly minded former mayor who took the chron front page to say how embarrased she was with town.What these people don't realise is that they are a big part of the problem too.
Roger Thornhill
Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 08:11 AMCharge 50p per car per visit to park at the sheds. Spend the money on making the town centre more inviting. And look up above the ground floors! We have some beautiful buildings. Why are we not more proud of this?
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