All 124 Debenhams stores shut in 2021, while many are revamping into mixed-use spaces, a high percentage still remain empty.

UK high streets have undergone significant transformation over recent years, with many retailers closing their doors or empty buildings in their wake. One of the most notable examples is the Debenhams closure, having gone from a focal point in urban centres to suddenly closing its doors after 200+ years of trading. What’s the future of the high street since Debenhams closure? Here’s something that may surprise you, some of the buildings are revitalising communities.

One approach cropping up is repurposing them into mixed-use developments by turning large retail spaces into a combination of residential, commercial and community. A perfect example; where work is underway in Manchester to revamp the Debenhams into a 10-floor shopping arcade with restaurants, a leisure centre, and offices. Similarly, in Carmarthen, Wales, the former Debenhams store will become a “community hub” with a health wellbeing and cultural service venue.  In Bristol, plans are underway to replace the Debenhams in the Bristol Shopping Quarter and turn it into a mixed-use destination with residential, retail and possibly a new cinema up for discussion.

The flagship store on Oxford Street redevelopment prize scheme, awarded to Landlease, prevailed over the favoured Skanska by a sliver and will see the building completely revamped into a new retail and office complex. Plans will also see a new facade and three upper storeys added to the existing building, with outdoor terraces.

The transformation of these iconic buildings is not only providing new and exciting opportunities for communities, but they’re also helping to revitalise UK high streets. By repurposing these empty buildings, developers are creating new jobs and breathing new life into these areas. Furthermore, by providing a mix of residential, commercial and community spaces, everyone experiences more vibrant and sustainable communities.

In conclusion, the UK high street is changing; retailers like Debenhams have had to close their doors. Repurposing these iconic buildings into mixed-use developments, leisure destinations, and commercial and office spaces is a positive solution for communities and the UK economy.

We see the repurposing of iconic department stores as a contributing factor to revitalising high streets, and we’re excited to see what unfolds for the many repurposed buildings. Here are a few that stand out:

• The Debenhams in Manchester city centre will become a mixed-use retail, office and leisure space. The upper floors of the building will be transformed into an office space, while the ground floor will house a retail arcade. AM alpha, rewarded with the redevelopment scheme, plans to “restore Rylands to its former glory in a very sustainable way to help achieve Greater Manchester’s 2038 carbon neutrality target’, said Stephen Schmidt, senior vice president at AM alpha.

• The Debenhams store on Argyle Street in Glasgow will house new offices and include a rooftop restaurant as part of a wider £50m masterplan to revamp the St Enoch Centre. The new shopping centre will feature 1,700 new homes, a four-star hotel, retail shops and community space. The council stated, “The Debenhams building is a very important part of Glasgow, and has long been at the heart of the city’s thriving retail environment. Sadly, the declining department store market dictates that retention of retail shops on the upper floor levels is not viable.

• The Debenhams closure in Birmingham Bullring will soon become a Marks and Spencer store come autumn. M&S plan to offer a “fresh” market-style food hall stocking the full M&S Food range, spacious Clothing, a Home and Beauty department, brand-new M&S cafes and free car parking to make shopping more convenient for customers. The retailer is opening 20 new stores in 2023, including former Debenhams stores. It has also taken the old Debenhams units in Trafford Centre in Manchester, White Rose in Leeds, Lakeside in Essex and Liverpool One.

• The top floor of the Debenhams in the Hounslow Treaty Centre has become a dynamic hub with market stalls selling handmade products and a restaurant serving meals curated by refugees to encourage businesses and customers back to the shopping areas. Since the Debenhams closure in 2021, Hounslow council have worked with partners to launch a multi-purpose “hub” called The Loft. The aim is to reinvigorate the town centre and support independent business growth with a programme that helps market traders launch offered by SaveTheHighStreet with the JO Accelerator made available to traders joining the market.

At SavetheHighStreet we’re on a mission to revitalise local communities by supporting independent businesses and the places where they launch or grow a business. Our JO platform connects businesses with customers and resources, helping them to thrive in the face of challenges and market conditions affecting high streets. We partner with councils, landlords, asset managers, BIDs and others to generate plans that revitalise towns and shopping centres. Learn more about how SaveTheHighStreet.Org could help transform your shopping or town centre by getting in touch.

The post The Future of UK high streets: What’s in store after Debenhams closure first appeared on Savethehighstreet.org.

What inspired you to start The Pet Shed?

I have always been an animal lover and had lots of pets. I also had a desire to work for myself and after much thought I hit on the idea of combining these 2 things. A local shop came up for sale but it wasn’t quite right for me, then a friend offered to lend me the money to start a shop from scratch and I went for it! After 23 year of working as an accountant in the NHS the opportunity was too good to miss, but it was a gamble and a big leap of faith!

What’s been the biggest digital challenge you have faced as a retailer?

Platforms such as Facebook changing the way posts appear in feeds. Connecting with customers through digital channels is becoming more and more difficult and you really have to understand what it is your customers are more likely to connect with in order to get the coverage. I also
struggle with finding the time to post but do try and build it into my day.

If you could learn more about one area of digital business, what would it be?

Using applications to schedule posts. I currently use Buffer (when I m feeling organised!) but would like to try out some others

What do you believe needs to be done to save our high streets?

Getting the message across that small doesn’t mean expensive. I am considerably cheaper than my nearest supermarket style pet shop but I know some potential customers have never even been through my door because they assume I am expensive.

What is the best bit of advice you could give to someone who is looking to start their first high street retail business?

Ask for help before you set up, during and afterwards. Never stop learning from your customers, other businesses and experts

What are your future ambitions for The Pet Shed?

To continue to increase my turnover within the confines of my shop and educate more and more pet owners about ,making healthy choices for their pets.

Where can we find out more about The Pet Shed?

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/The-Pet-Shed-BrightonInstagram https://www.instagram.com/thepetshed/
Twitter https://twitter.com/PetShedBrighton
Website www.thepetshedbrighton.co.uk

The post Industry Insider: The Pet Shed first appeared on Savethehighstreet.org.

Everyone is online these days. As a retailer in modern times, you’ve got to engage customers online and bring them into your bricks-and-mortar store. Fortunately, connecting your online and real-world presence isn’t as difficult as it once was. With retail technologies like ePOS, you can bring the online and in-store sides of your business together.

Petit Miracles uses Vend ePOS to help them keep track of and connect their online and in-store sales and customers. This helps them understand their business and their community. Without wasting time on more old-fashioned tracking and analysis, the folks at Petit Miracles have more time for other important areas of retail. Like selling, fulfilling customer’s needs and keeping their products interesting and creative. They’re an award-winning independent for a reason, you know.

But if you’re wondering what exactly an ePOS can do for you, well there are a few things to bear in mind. First and foremost, ePOS means tracking. It connects to your sales and stock data to keep track of what’s selling and when. This gives you valuable data that you can use to make data-driven decisions to benefit your shop and improve your sales. You don’t need to make assumptions or take stabs in the dark when important decisions need to be made. With an ePOS you can receive sales reports that back up your decisions with real, helpful stats. The other big advantage of ePOS is that it integrates with everything else your shop does. They can connect with ecommerce systems, staffing rota software and even customer loyalty programmes. EPOS is a great modern retail technology that many independents aren’t taking full advantage of.

Take a 30 day free trial of Vend ePOS – the ePOS provider used by Petit Miracles themselves!

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

The post Retailer Talks: Connecting Online and In-Store first appeared on Savethehighstreet.org.

Retail has changed, in recent times. With advances in technology disrupting how retailers handle everything, from payments, to marketing, to supply. Furthermore, these technological changes translate into cultural shifts, towards a more socially connected youth and a more internet-active society. As a small business in modern times, it can seem difficult to harness these changes for the better. Shinali, of Sefgrove Pharmacy, spoke with xln as a part of their series on UK small businesses, to share her experience.

Small Business in Modern Times

First and foremost, in her video, Shinali brings up the necessity of a working broadband connection. This is something everyone needs, with more and more services moving online. The broadband connection represents a link to the outside world that lets Shinali electronically handle prescriptions. Consequently, losing this link means losing money, as the pharmacy can’t handle prescriptions, and losing customers in the long-term.

As a small business in modern times, the internet connection is a connection to infrastructure that keeps your business running. Making sure you have a good provider is hugely important. This isn’t just because of the connection strength they provide, but because when the connection goes down, they give you great customer service to help get it back online.

Last but not least watch Shinali’s experience of running a small business in modern times here.

And don’t be afraid to get in touch with our team if you have any questions or comments.

The post Small Business in Modern Times: A Pharmacy first appeared on Savethehighstreet.org.

There are only a few days left to enter the draw to win Vend’s £20,000 Retail Growth package.

It takes just 30-seconds for you to be in to win everything you need to save time, make more money and get more customers. For London retailers Number Six, Vend delivered 40% YoY retail growth.

What could that mean for you?

Enter now using this link – there are no tricks or timeshare offers.

Yours in great retail!

The post Win £20,000 of Retail Growth with Vend first appeared on Savethehighstreet.org.

Fitting out your store doesn’t have to cost a small fortune. In fact, at Appear Here some of the most effective, creative pop-ups we’ve seen have been done on a shoestring. After all, there’s nothing like a minuscule budget to encourage a bit of resourcefulness…

Here are five cool ideas from some of the brands we’ve worked with to get you going.

Partner up

La Gent wanted to recreate their online lifestyle store in a physical space. They wanted the space to feel as though you had just entered someone’s house. So to avoid expensive hire fees, they partnered with the furniture designers, Pinch. It was the perfect collaboration – Wallpaper Magazine even highlighted it as one of their top design pop-ups of 2016.

Partnering with upcoming artists is another way to keep the cost of decoration down. When Simon Suphandagli launched EJDER 24 Hour Club, he invited young artists in to paint the walls of the store. Design Butler created a mural on the launch night – providing entertainment for revellers at the same time as decorating their store.

Get creative and upcycle

Jewellery brand John + Pearl regularly launch pop-ups, so need a design format that’s affordable. Founder Julie McCauley says upcycling helped them get creative on a low budget: “An example from my shop is a set of old wooden speakers that I transformed into light boxes with a vinyl of our logo,” says McCauley.

“If on a budget, you can buy offcuts of acrylic then ask for them to be cut down in most good suppliers. Try Hamar Acrylic in Bethnal Green. To light it, you can buy inexpensive lighting on Amazon, the kind used for kitchen counters. Vinyl is cheap and impressive, the total cost is less than £25 for an amazing custom light box!”

Pinterest is also a great place to look. Some inspired ideas include turning chair legs into display hangers, using concrete blocks as display cases, repainting old tables and chairs, and putting ladders to use as shelving. All simple, all effective.

Reuse storage materials

Paris-based online art gallery Balibart set up shop in Old Street station through Appear Here and used the tubes from their posters to create the fit out. For instance, the cylinders make great table legs or when bunched together, they can even be used as shelving or stands.

Let your product do the talking

Sometimes less is more. If you have beautiful products then you may want to make them the focus of your shop fit out, leaving out any other noise. Anna Walker is a great example of this – her leather totes are real statement pieces, so she made them the centrepiece of her store.

Plan your space in advance

Planning ahead also gives you time to think of creative ideas and come up with affordable ways to execute them. Julie, from John + Pearl, advised, “ask for a scale floor plan and either use a photo editing app or even sketch on a print out to plan the layout of your shop.”

“People love a customised experience but don’t always enter a shop if you are sitting right by the door,” she continues. “Consider a relaxed looking workspace that you feel comfortable in. You will be spending a lot of time there so if you are relaxed and happy then your customers will be! I like to avoid sitting behind a desk. I love bringing a bench to sit at, removing a formal barrier between you and your customers. It immediately creates a less formal environment.”

Source: Appear Here Blog – http://ow.ly/L9CU30cklAY

The post Five creative ways to fit out your store on a budget first appeared on Savethehighstreet.org.

The unmissable event for independent retailers – June, 22nd, 2017

The UK’s first expo aimed exclusively at startup and independent retailers and the POS and payments resellers who sell to them, Cloud POS & Payments Expo will bring together thought leaders from the retail technology space, retailers and POS resellers for a day of inspiration, information and networking.

When: Thursday 22nd June, 1:30-4:30pm (Resellers Day) and 5pm-7:30pm (Retailers Expo) followed by drinks & food at the PayPal HQ Bar
Where: PayPal HQ, Richmond, London

Cost: Free to attend.

Please, click here to register and have more information.

The post Cloud Point of Sale & Payments Expo 2017 first appeared on Savethehighstreet.org.

If you’re thinking about, in the process of or have already opened your new shop, you’ll no doubt be in a bit of a frenzy. It’s easy to forget the little things, so our partner Morplan created a handy checklist for you to make sure you’re not caught out at the last minute. Most of these products can be purchased from Morplan website so you know you’re in good hands.

Click here to read the Morplan News entire article.

The post New shop? The latest recommendations first appeared on Savethehighstreet.org.

SaveTheHighStreet.org has formed a new partnership with Enterprise Nation to offer on-demand business support to the small business shop owners of the UK with exclusive access to local and national experts, events and more.

As part of this partnership, you can access three months free Enterprise Nation membership.

Click here to know more.

The post Enterprise Nation Special Offer first appeared on Savethehighstreet.org.

Using Data To Advertise Better

Want to know how to use data to advertise better? JCDecaux – masters of outdoor advertising, now use data driven, geo-targeted ads and give retailers insights as to how to reach their target customers and advertise in a way that was never available to them before.

We spoke to Harriet Lawman, Head of New Business to find out what small businesses can do to reach their target customers and make the most of their ad budgets.

Sign up to our newsletter to be one of the first to receive our new Industry Standards recommendations, designed by our brand partners together with our Retail Advisory Board of over 100 members nationwide.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel to be the first to receive recommendations updates.

Check out JCDecaux special offer exclusive to SaveTheHighStreet.org.

The post Using Data To Advertise Better first appeared on Savethehighstreet.org.