It isn’t a secret that Town Centres and shopping areas have been going through some rough patches over the last decade or so, and like most things, the reasons are not limited to one or two causes, but rather a mixture of both internal and external forces, some more manageable than others.
The external factors are a particular cause for concern, as there is often nothing that an individual business can do about them. Several of the external causes are listed below, but the list is by no means exhaustive;
- Economic Downturn – events like the depression of 2008 have had a long-lasting impact on businesses and consumer confidence
- Online Shopping – the rise of consumers turning to the Internet for bargains has undoubtedly had a major impact on Town Centres
- Retail Parks – even before the Internet out-of-town retail parks were having a large impact
- Rent & Rates – business rates and rents can be high, very high! In a lot of cases can be a main cause of a business closing down
- Poor Management – not of the businesses, but the local area by local Councils. The list of things that could be included here would be long, such as inadequate parking, poor/expensive public transport, 25 Cafes in a 100-metre stretch (ok, may be exaggerating a little), and so on
”The basic idea behind My Local Bargains App is fairly simple, Business Owners can add any of their goods or services they have on sale and consumers can search for the best deals to be had in their local area.
This is obviously only a very small look at a much bigger problem. Fortunately, most local Councils are making great efforts to improve things, some will work some won’t, but it will take time.
One of the main driving forces behind the development of the ‘My Local Bargains’ App was to help increase footfall in and around Town Centres. By offering consumers the opportunity to search for bargains locally, either before setting off or whilst out and about, it is hoped that this will have some impact on people movement, no matter how small. Although there are no guarantees that using the App will have an effect on footfall, it is and will remain one of our major goals!
