Anyway, her most recent crusade, is to help our ailing High Streets. I have been avidly reading her blogs and following some of the messages posted in response with great interest. If there is a solution for the future, we are nowhere near finding an answer in reality.
Part of the problem is our over reliance on the car and some peoples inability to walk further than a hundred yards to their chosen shop. You only have to look at the growing range of out of town shopping parks which are gaining popularity. For convenience, they are ideal but let's be honest, they are quite boring and sterile environments to visit. You have the same shops that can be found in any other town and city in the country. There is no real character to the buildings and you get no sense of the city you are in.
As a prime example, you only have to look at Telford. Whilst you have a large indoor shopping centre which may have every shop you desire, the place itself is like a concrete wart on the landscape. It has no soul whatsoever and feels cold and uninviting. Drive a few miles up the road and you arrive at Shrewsbury. One of my favourite places to shop because you can park before you get into the town and walk over the English Bridge and the uphill winding road into the town is crammed with interesting independent shops that you will not find anywhere else. Also most of them are staffed by the owners who obviously have a vested interest but this transposes into some great customer service. You are served by someone who wants to be there, wants to help you and above all, is an expert on the stock contained within.
Another example is on Saturday, I needed to find some jewellery blanks for a project. So I knew there was a small shop in Lichfield which sells hundreds of different beads to make jewellery from. I spent a while trying to find what I needed until I asked for some advice. The lady behind the counter couldn't be more helpful and gave me some alternative solutions to try and I ended up with a few purchases. The shop was extremely busy but the staff were not flustered at all and were happy to chat with the customers and the place had a great atmosphere. On from there, I needed to go to Hobbycraft in Tamworth which on arrival, announced its new fresh look. Yes it did look great inside but as everything had moved I couldn't find what I wanted to start with but couldn't find a free member of staff to ask. I managed to find someone restocking some shelves and asked them for help. This was pointless as they said they had no idea where I could find them and instead of trying to find someone who did know, carried on with the monotonous task. So I decided to join the queue at the cash desk and was sent in the general direction of where to look. Not surprising but it was totally the wrong location and had to weave my way up and down the aisles again. As an experience, it was really annoying and frustrating. Whilst they may have spent thousands of pounds on their new store, the staff had no idea where anything was, couldn't even force a smile and were basically cashiers. For a creative and artistic store, there is so much more they could be doing.
So it is no surprise that as soon as I got home, I ordered what I needed off the Internet.
The reason I went into that long winded story is that I know one solution that could change the face of the great British High Street. You are not going to attract the big chains back because they think they need more floorspace and you are not going to stop people buying their favourite brands overnight. But what could change is the excessively high rental prices which might attract back small businesses to take that start up risk. Mix this with a vibrant multi rental space for more creative businesses that cannot afford an expensive long term rental agreement. Then stop local councils allowing too many fast food businesses, estate agents and pound shops in the same area. All the planning departments care about is who is prepared to pay the most and less about what the business is going to contribute to the local area. Everyone should be able to have access to some sort of High Street presence regardless of how small your business is, so long as you bring credible value and a create a genuine need for your product or services.
Another possibility is to stop the concentration of pubs and restaurants in one area as this creates all sorts of late night anti social behaviour as they are the only places that are open after 6pm. Why don't we have shops staying open later not just at Christmas time but on 2 or 3 nights a week as a trial. It creates more employment for part time workers and may lure people away from the big supermarkets where they visit after wok on the way home. It might not work but its worth a try.
So, whilst I do buy a lot of stuff from the Internet, I would much prefer having an exciting and vibrant local High Street where I could walk to and enjoy passing the time of day with the owners and being able to support local businesses instead of giving my money to online faceless businesses.
Whatever you may think about celebrity crusaders, at least they are using their network to make a change for the better. Like Jamie Oliver and his school dinners campaign. We all know that our children are being fed rubbish at school and walking to school eating chocolate and crisps but this is only happening because the schools and parents responsible, couldn't be bothered to put any effort in to effecting change. I for one hope that Mary Portas will make a difference to our shopping habits but it is going to take a few years yet before we see any noticeable changes. But these are people that I admire and respect, for trying to make a stand. We need the Jamie Olivers, Wayne Hemmingways and Mary Portas's to use their perceived celebrity status because they can get access to the decision makers easier.
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