The impact of the retail environment
5th October 2007
PLANNERS and retailers are having to wake up to the reality that consumers now expect a lot more from their retail environment than they did 10 years ago. The focus has changed within both cities and market towns – larger retailers are now demanding more before they consider taking up units and opening new branches, whereas previously it was the retailer who had to conform most, with more stipulations being laid down for them by local planners.
The surrounding environment is now seen as a key contributor to the future success of most large retailers. Both store occupants and consumers are expressing a preference for attractive retail areas, with greenery, seating, good lighting and litter-free walkways making areas more enticing to shoppers. Pedestrianised areas are better frequented than areas where shoppers have to dodge buses and taxis, particularly with the noise and fumes created by traffic, but this largely depends on what type of retailer occupies the units. Despite fronting roadsides, areas like Belgrave Road remain successful because of their connections to the Indian jewellery, food and clothing businesses. Nowhere else in the city can rival this kind of ongoing success – people travel to the area because it's such a unique Asian centre with links to bigger stores in Delhi, Bombay and Dubai.
Far more important is the absence of litter, noise pollution and rowdiness. Much of this is caused by proximity to public houses and take-away cafes – factors which can also raise security issues when the stores are closed. Not enough attention has been paid to city centre security in the past, but that is starting to change.
Initiatives like the Leicester city centre Business Improvement District (BID) - a collaboration between the city council, police, chamber of commerce and Leicestershire Economic Partnership - laid out some good principles for improving the retail environment and security generally, but could only do so by levying a 1% additional charge on business rates for those with a rateable value of £10,000-plus. Understandably, this wasn't well received by retailers. However, the opening of the shires and pedestrianisation of the High Street could well lead to a change of attitude in the future.
Leicester is now getting ahead of Nottingham in retail terms – which is an effective reversal for the two towns. Nottingham's strength has previously been that it revolved around two shopping centres, and this meant the area in between was also enhanced. For a while, the city was strong enough to accommodate both the Victoria and Broadmarsh centres, but gradually the Broadmarsh became run-down and viewed as the 'poor relation'. Nottingham is now undergoing its own regeneration, but it's Leicester that's taking the lead because the extended Shires will have such a big retail offering in one central location, which is bound to have a knock-on effect on the areas surrounding it. The High Street pedestrianisation has already received a positive response from the public and is sure to heighten appeal once the Shires extension is complete.