If you secretly shop on Chinese websites like AliExpress, Shein or Temu and regularly visit shopping malls outside the city, you cannot complain about the ‘death’ of the shopping street.
It is a tough time for independent shops and smaller retailers who do not have such a large online presence, cannot compete on price, have high rates and energy costs and are not located in the aforementioned shopping centres.
They have suffered an exodus of customers, due to mismanagement by many councils when it comes to parking charges (and cumbersome apps), poor public transport links and people drawing attention to the ridiculous prices offered to customers online.
That’s why our high streets are turning into meccas for betting shops, charity shops, coffee bars and an endless stream of hairdressers and nail salons.
Battles: High street shops are constantly struggling – and out-of-town shopping centres are drawing huge numbers of shoppers away
Although my neighborhood is relatively busy, I have noticed over the last 12 months that more shops are closing down and being boarded up, the outcome is unknown and there are far fewer people visiting.
Lately I have also been shocked by the number of friends and family members who have told me they have used one of the Chinese websites mentioned above, with varying degrees of success in terms of quality.
People I wouldn’t expect to use them.
New research from e-commerce marketing platform Ominsend shows that three in five shoppers (including four in five among Gen Zers) have purchased goods from Chinese retail websites in the past year.
People seem more likely to buy a £5 dress from Shein than a £15 dress from a market stall, or a £30 dress from an independent store. This is because they are only focused on price and a quick experience, rather than quality.
There is often too little thought given to the impact on workers and the environment when a dress costs £5.
Leaving aside the Chinese websites (and Amazon), I think it is the out-of-town shopping malls that are the death knell for the high street as we know it.
They offer free parking, most of the shops you know, and bigger and bigger retailers seem to be targeting it massively – especially Next and M&S, both of whom are going through a tough time, so the strategy is working, along with popular fast food restaurants like McDonalds and Greggs.
Last month we made two separate journeys as a family by car, from Essex via the A12 to Norfolk and Suffolk.
With a newborn baby in the car, the need to stop can be great (driving with a screaming baby in the backseat should be part of the driving test).
Each time we ended up in two of these newly built out-of-town shopping centres, just off the A-road: one in Stanway, just outside Colchester, and another in Martlesham, on the edge of Ipswich, simply because that’s where the baby started crying.
Both were full. Stanway had one of the biggest M&S stores I’ve ever been in, while Martlesham had a huge Next with a Costa and Waterstones inside.
As we left the colossal parking lots, both places had terrible traffic problems. One way in and out, on a busy A-road, is a recipe for disaster.
There are many of these places scattered around the country. They are poorly designed in terms of accessibility for motorists, yet they are extremely popular.
Most of these shoppers would have been on a high street 15 years ago. Now they are being funneled into these soulless identikit sites.
I can see why retailers love them. Bigger units, free parking for customers and easier access for goods.
As a shopper I despise them, I would much rather be in the local high street with more variety and personality.
Sadly, I think I am a dying breed. What happens to the high street next is in our hands – but don’t be surprised if we see more boarded up shops, more retailers abandoning their physical stores and more people you know saying ‘It’s such a shame, it used to be such a nice place to visit’.
If you shop on Chinese websites and regularly visit out-of-town malls, but you hear yourself saying this, you know what to do.
Consider supporting your high street more.
Otherwise, it might be time to completely rethink the high street as a shopping area – and accept that most of it needs to be developed into residential real estate.
Has a local independent shop gone the extra mile for you? Get in touch and tell us about your experience: editor@thisismoney.co.uk
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