With three in four Brits saying it’s important to support shops on their local high street, but a worrying economic climate leading to national brands favouring an online presence, what does the UK high street actually look like in 2019 and how does location effect the number of businesses favouring bricks and mortar over cyber stores? Together has just released a report, analysing a sample of 6,682 businesses across 120 high streets from towns in all 12 regions of England, as well as Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Categorising businesses and shops by their function (for example, food and drink, retail or recreational) to understand just how our high streets stack up in the current unsteady climate.
Despite the headlines, retail was still seen to retain a strong presence on the UK high street at 30.32%, accounting for nearly one in three businesses.
Other findings include:
- Retailnow takes up only 30.32% of the high street with a worrying economic climate that has led to many national brands favouring an online presence.
- Yorkshire has the most ‘desirable’ high street with having the highest percentage of retailers at 41.77% when the West Midlands have ranked the least at a mere 19.39%
- 43.02% of the high street now features independent businesses, with research suggesting that local independent shops are of high importance to British homeowners – in fact, more than one in three Brits would like to see a return to smaller, local shops in their town.
- Northern Ireland came out the best place for independent stores, with more than one in two businesses on the high street (52%) being independently owned.
