The UK's closing high streets

Earlier this week I was feeling a little guilty, probably not for the reasons that many men of my age have. I heard a news story about the changing face of the high streets in towns and cities across the UK and that the worst was Stockport town centre.

Stockport town centre is almost a third unoccupied. So why do I feel guilty? Well for over 20 years my parents were shopkeepers, they had various shops with varying degrees of success, the shops were petering out as they were retiring, the final one closed in about 2000. So I do wonder if I should be fulfilling my destiny as a shopkeeper rather than relying on internet sales.

The world has changed radically in the last ten years, the internet is mostly responsible for that, I don't think that that is the main reason for high streets failing though, so I absolve my guilt and do so for several reasons.

The first is that I and many other people still shop in the real world, I go in big shops, little shops, multi nationals and family run stores, I always will, I like to see things, touch things, find something I didn't know I wanted, I can do most of that on the internet too, but there are glaring differences.

The second is that high streets are suffering in a recession yet the councils and property owners are increasing rates (or whatever they feel like calling it) and rent without giving anything back, if your expenses are £1000 per week before you've switched on a light or employed a member of staff then many businesses will struggle. Councils and landlords rarely offer incentives and when they do they aren't always good enough. The councils should be twisting the arm of landlords to rent out their properties and in turn the landlords should be persuading the councils that the only way they will be able to do so is if the councils help them out. New businesses should be encouraged to start on local markets and then encouraged to move up to a shop if/when they can. The more the councils enforce and increase rates then the more businesses will close down and the less the councils will get in revenue. Sadly councils aren't run like businesses, they're run by elected representatives and civil servants who have little or no experience in running a business and what that entails.Governments and councils can do so much to encourage businesses and so much that would actually earn them money rather than cost it.

Thirdly (and this is my business blog!) I do sell to small businesses and hopefully offer them a chance to buy well priced wholesale stock without massive outlay, I know that some are on high streets around the country, so I'm not all bad!

I also sell retail items to people who can't get to the high street, be they in remote parts of the country or house bound. It is often overlooked, and occasionally by me, that many people aren't as fortunate as some of us in being able to get to the high street, the internet has opened up (literally) a whole new world, where they can buy what they like, when they like, so much better than relying on one local shop or the help of friends and relatives.

So for now I'll be selling online and only online but if any councils or shop owners want to tempt me, I'm easily bought!