'Will we soon call UK high streets 'outdoor shopping malls?'' blog discussion

dvs

I agree that there probably won't be high streets like we have today but I'm not sure we'll have outside malls as such. We'll just have places called Tesco. There won't be specialist stores in the future (like music stores, book stores or games stores). We won't need them because we'll have Tesco and their 'huge' limited range of just the key sellers. We'll also have online retailers and downloads.

Whilst I'm being sarcastic, the sad thing is that this is where we are heading. So many high streets are dying. I don't mind lots of malls/shopping centres etc because as long as you have key retailers there they'll always be choice. However, the supermarkets are using their power and customer base and killing specialist retailers. We're not talking about butchers, green grocers, off-licences (they've practically killed them already) but the likes of HMV, Game, Waterstones etc and perhaps eventually retailers like Argos. If supermarkets continue to sell key non-food products like games, toys, electronics and entertainment at rock-bottom prices (sometimes even at a loss) then the specialist retailers lose key business, their customers and start closing stores etc. Whilst the short-term view for the customer is a cheaper product, the long term result is less choice. The internet is also competing with the high street but I think there is something about seeing and feeling a product that will mean people will still want to go out and shop. Trouble is it might only be the supermarkets where you can do that - and let's face it, their range of electronics, music, games etc is abysmal.

Supermarkets are too dominant in this country. They should stick to selling food - not core products of other retailers and not financial services etc.

J_i_m_s_t_e_r

The other issue is that local councils have gotten massively greedy in terms of the rates they want to charge high street shops. This is why there are so few "Non-franchise" shops on the streets now, because only big chains can afford the rates. Mate has closed his record shop specifically because of this.

I think charity shops get a reduced rate which explains their presence.

It'll all be coffee, phones and charity soon.

If it isn't already.

Change is the only constant in life.

metalgal

victoria square in belfast is an "outdoor" mall. they have it covered from the rain but its open at the entrances and its like a wind tunnel. its beautiful and would be amazing somewhere like florida but in belfast its freezing cold.

anyfreebies

Aidy wrote: »

that's something you don't hear very often in football terms now!! :rotfl:

Maybe if Man U didn't bribe the refs.

And no you don't hear Liverpool 1 very often but you hear things like Liverpool 3, Aston Villa 0 and Liverpool 3, West Ham 0.

Mids_Costcutter

J_i_m_s_t_e_r wrote: »

The other issue is that local councils have gotten massively greedy in terms of the rates they want to charge high street shops. This is why there are so few "Non-franchise" shops on the streets now, because only big chains can afford the rates. Mate has closed his record shop specifically because of this.

I think charity shops get a reduced rate which explains their presence.

It'll all be coffee, phones and charity soon.

If it isn't already.

Change is the only constant in life.

And the result is every high street / shopping centre looks pretty much the same. To use a phrase coined by writer James Howard Kunstler: 'The geography of nowhere'.

I think it's a shame that the American English 'mall' is now so submissively used everywhere - a lack of originality?

To return to the issue raised in Martin's blog, perhaps the main difference between an 'outdoor mall' and a high street is that the latter facilitates a lot more activities than just shopping e.g. residential properties, pubs, libraries etc. Also, in my view a worrying trend is that when new shopping centres open they change public to private space. An example is the massive Bullring centre in Birmingham which opened in its current form in 2003. After the centre closes its doors at 20.00 you have to walk further to get across town to the Digbeth area.

Sorry to hear that your mate's record shop had to close, bet the customer service was a lot better than HMV!

shjo558

Are the charges for Business Rates not set by central government?

callum9999

Mids_Costcutter wrote: »

And the result is every high street / shopping centre looks pretty much the same. To use a phrase coined by writer James Howard Kunstler: 'The geography of nowhere'.

I think it's a shame that the American English 'mall' is now so submissively used everywhere - a lack of originality?

To return to the issue raised in Martin's blog, perhaps the main difference between an 'outdoor mall' and a high street is that the latter facilitates a lot more activities than just shopping e.g. residential properties, pubs, libraries etc. Also, in my view a worrying trend is that when new shopping centres open they change public to private space. An example is the massive Bullring centre in Birmingham which opened in its current form in 2003. After the centre closes its doors at 20.00 you have to walk further to get across town to the Digbeth area.

Sorry to hear that your mate's record shop had to close, bet the customer service was a lot better than HMV!

It's not a "lack of originality" - it's simply giving people what they want. Just like with all the big supermarkets. Large numbers of people moan about them as well - but the simple fact is they build what people want. If people didn't want these things then they would go bust.

(Though I notice with the supermarkets, a large number of people who moan about how big they are do their weekly shop there!).

jbryce

Americans call every sort of location where there is a collection of different shops a "mall", whereas we have different words such as "retail park", "parade", "high street" and so on to describe different types of retail destination. So, no, I don't think we will start calling high streets "outdoor shopping malls".

Mids_Costcutter

callum9999 wrote: »

It's not a "lack of originality" - it's simply giving people what they want. Just like with all the big supermarkets. Large numbers of people moan about them as well - but the simple fact is they build what people want. If people didn't want these things then they would go bust.

(Though I notice with the supermarkets, a large number of people who moan about how big they are do their weekly shop there!).

Have to agree with you on people doing their shopping in supermarkets. On the language used though, I was referring to a lack of originality in using the American English 'mall' term instead of shopping centre / plaza etc. not the actual building of the things!

david72

Both high streets and shopping centres are fast becoming increasingly irrelevant to me. I have better things to do with my weekends than "go shopping", and why is it that high streets and shopping centres have even shorter opening times at the weekend? Their weekday hours are poor enough to start with (generally serving only shift workers or the non-working). Closing before 20:00 (or better, 22:00) = FAIL.

I now do most of my shopping (for just about everything) at the large supermarkets at a time which suits me. Yeah, they're evil, but if the rest of the market won't provide.. The supermarkets have long opening hours and some are even 24 hours, making it easy (well, fairly easy, there are no large supermarkets within the inner city, unfortunately, only the less than ideal 'top-up shop' mini-supermarkets) to shop for almost anything after work in the evenings. Sadly, you certainly won't get the same range or always the same quality as a specialist shop, but if you need something now and the specialist shops can't be bothered extending their opening hours to serve customer needs..

In fact, I think the only times I visit high street or shopping centre shops these days are for undies from M&S (pricey, but the supermarkets' undies just aren't the same quality); Argos occasionally (nothing else has the range, but being unable to "look and touch" is a pain, the supermarkets are now starting to erode their territory, and their opening hours are relatively fail-worthy as well: being a literal box-shifter you'd think they'd be able to be open until 21:00 7 days a week pretty easily); PC World; Richer Sounds; IKEA; the mobile phone shops (obviously only an annual visit); and the local bike shops (probably one of the few shop types that manages to maintain its specialist niche).

That's not to say that there aren't a few high street shops that I'd probably prefer to shop at, but until they improve their opening hours..