2019 was a year to forget for those who love to shop on the high street. With stores closing all across the region on a regular basis, just why exactly is it happening at such an alarming rate? Will we see the high street booming again in the future?
Betting Shops Affected
Up and down the country, not just in our area, more and more land casinos and high street bookmakers are closing their venues. It was only back in July when William Hill announced plans to close 700 shops, with some of those in the Midlands. It’s a shame as it will mean many people will be looking for new jobs, but with technology improving constantly, a lot of attention is being switched to an online environment. Hills had well over 2000 shops in the UK, so closing 700 to cut some costs and convert more online bettors was a clever tactic from their point of view.
If you’re reading this and enjoy betting responsibly yourself, the number of shops and casinos on the high street and in your town or city will not affect your ability to enjoy some casino action or a bet on the football. Get online with a reliable online casino like Betway. You can bet on the go on your mobile device, which cuts out the effort of having to walk to a land casino that might be a couple of miles away.
Although great news for individuals who want to bet online or even shop online, it’s sad to see the high street in such decline.
What Does it Mean for the High Street?
Your local high street in the West Midlands, Warwickshire, Shropshire, Staffordshire, wherever, may be in decline anyway, regardless of whether betting shops close or not. There are a lot of other businesses struggling to cope. Why? There are a few reasons, such as:
- Shops are empty and too big
- Habits are changing among shoppers
- Fewer shoppers on the high street
- There’s been a change in taste
Let’s dig a little deeper.
Shops are empty and too big
There is an incredible amount of empty shops on the high streets across the Midlands. Many shops have closed. Coast. Karen Millen. Poundworld. Toys R Us. Then you’ve got New Look, Debenhams who are closing stores left, right, and centre. The list goes on, but we’ll be here all day if we listed every brand. The number of empty shops is at a record high. If you’ve got a huge store and hardly any customers are coming through those doors, you won’t last very long.
Habits are changing among shoppers
It doesn’t help when consumers are spending a lot of their time shopping online. What also doesn’t help is the rise in business rates for business owners of high street stores. That coupled with increasing wages and high rental fees makes it extremely difficult for a high street shop to succeed these days.
But what’s not surprising is that more people are spending their hard-earned money on experiences, such as travel or lifestyle choices for themselves, rather than buying materialistic products.
Fewer shoppers on the high street
We’re getting lazy, which means that the high streets are low in numbers. We’d rather sit at home and shop on our phones or laptops. And why not? It’s very convenient. It doesn’t help the high street, of course. You might just be watching the pennies nowadays as the cost of living is pretty high in comparison to the average wage. Not only that but the weather in England doesn’t help. If it’s raining all day, you don’t want to be heading into town to buy anything. Your mobile device at home with the heating on is a much better choice.
There’s been a change in taste
Tastes are changing so high streets need to adapt to that change too. People are moving away from shopping at traditional retail stores. A lot of people would much rather go to a pub, a restaurant, a charity shop or even have a look in the window at an Estate Agents of that house you could never afford. We can all dream, though.
Can the High Street Survive?
Mothercare was another long-established brand to disappear not too long ago. Overall, it looks bleak. With the number of betting shops and retail stores on the high street, the amount of closures is making the high street look a little untidy. As too are all the other shop closures. But it’s not their fault. If the majority of people shop online nowadays, what are they meant to do? If the shops adapt to the changing needs of the consumer, we may well see the high street, although looking a lot different than a decade ago, thrive. Let’s hope so anyway.
