Letter: Compared With Other Areas, Our Retail Sector Is Doing Well

Published on: 23 Jul, 2018
Updated on: 23 Jul, 2018

From Caroline Reeves

leader of the opposition at Guildford Borough Council and Lib Dem ward councillor for Friary & St Nicolas

In response to: It Is True – The Number of Empty Shops in Guildford Is Increasing

I have spoken to some of the staff in shops before they closed and in some cases, such as East in North Street, they had a very good Christmas with high sales figures but, of course, if a chain isn’t doing well everywhere the decision is often to close all the units.

It’s the same with sales. The discounts given will be applied nationally, so you could say Guildford shoppers are benefiting, with big discounts, from the downturn elsewhere. Compared to many of the shopping areas around Guildford our independents and other stores are doing well, the town is very busy at weekends, on the Friday market day and on Farmers’ Market day.

One of the real issues that all retailers face, especially the independents, is the awful business rates system we have and the fact that any work the borough does to improve the environment will inevitably and ultimately increase rents. This can only be addressed by government and leaseholders.

As I have said frequently at meetings with M&G Real Estate [owners of the Friary Centre and much of the land designated for redevelopment in North Street], any new development must have flexible sized retail units and shorter leases so that tenants have the ability to make the most of their business. And until we actually see a plan for the North Street redevelopment there’s no indication of the ratio of housing to retail, so anything assumed now can only be speculation.

Responses to Letter: Compared With Other Areas, Our Retail Sector Is Doing Well

David Roberts Reply

July 25, 2018 at 5:57 pm

“There is no point clinging to a sentimental vision of the past,” says Bill Grimsey, the former Wickes and Iceland chief executive whose second report on the high street appeared recently (see http://www.vanishinghighstreet.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/GrimseyReview2.pdf).

With 70,000 British retail jobs due to disappear this year alone, Guildford can’t defy economic gravity. We probably have twice the number of shops we need. Scrapping our prehistoric business rate system in favour of a sales tax regime encompassing online retailers would help.

But with all government at a halt indefinitely because of Brexit, there is no chance of that!