World Footwear

World

UK: 17 000 new high street stores could open

Jul 22, 2021 United Kingdom
UK: 17 000 new high street stores could open
New research by Barclays Corporate Banking disclosed that thousands of local high street stores could open across the UK in the next 12 months as consumers adapt to a post-lockdown and are more focused on local shopping
Based on the expectation that home and hybrid working patterns will continue into the coming months, a quarter of consumers surveyed by Barclays said the best way a retailer can attract them is by opening stores in their local area rather than in city centres, which opens good new perspectives to local high streets retailers.

"E-commerce has been the undisputed winner of the pandemic but not far behind are community high streets, as shoppers seek to 'look local' and support the stores on their doorstep", said Karen Johnson, Head of Retail and Wholesale at Barclays Corporate Banking.

A switch to more local stores result in a overturn of a trend seen in the last few years as high street shopping declined, first as preferred locations focused on big cities and then with the online’ s growth.

According to the same source, 18% of retail businesses with 10 or more employees are considering community store openings, with each of them looking at five new premises on average. In total that might result in a potential for up to 17 000 new local stores across the UK.

For this research, Barclays surveyed more than 300 senior retail managers.

Image credits: Clay Banks on Unsplash

Related Events

  • Jun
    12
    Jun 12-Jun 15, 2025 | London, United Kingdom

    London Fashion Week

  • Sep
    7
    Sep 7-Sep 10, 2025 | Birmingham, United Kingdom

    Moda

  • Sep
    18
    Sep 18-Sep 22, 2025 | London, United Kingdom

    London Fashion Week

Related Organizations

  • SLTC - Society of Leather Technologists and Chemists

    SLTC - Society of Leather Technologists and Chemists

    United Kingdom
  • Northampton Museum and Art Gallery

    Northampton Museum and Art Gallery

    United Kingdom
  • UK Leather Federation

    UK Leather Federation

    United Kingdom
  • LWG - Leather Working Group

    LWG - Leather Working Group

    United Kingdom