THE HIGH STREET EMPTY STORE SYMPTOM

Or how can we cope with the empty store symptom.....in our retail streets.






The todays worldwide upcoming empty store symptom in all cities, reflects part of the current complicated economical situation, we are going through and is forcing all major actors like retailers, landlords and local governments to act and to re-imagine the future cooperation in a new one way oriented direction.  
Maybe, it is time that large retail chains forget there double digit profit margins and their fast swift to other store locations, in case the store results are some weaker, that local governments stop killing their city centers by allowing the construction of continuous new retail parks out of town, creating a death inner town, pushing the local people to buy out of their home town or that landlords lower their lease fees, so that retailers can manage to continuo their business, even during this though economical situation. (already more than 5 years now...)
The decreasing group of consumers, due to the economical situation and the increasing more critical group of online consumers, seduced by new creative ways of buying....leaves us no other way than reinventing our retail streets.
So, lets sit together and realize that it will not be anymore like before,...that we all have to change our chip in order to attack the problem.  Retailers will have to invent the real way of dealing with clients, using smaller spaces, being much more creative and original. Local governments will have to listen more to the local people, changing priorities and putting the emphasis on how to reanimate their city centers, instead of killing them..  Landlords will have to realize that a retailer can only survive when he makes a certain profit and like this he stays motivated to continue to do his business, so asking realistic rents. 
So,...what can we do more...

Projects like the 'Empty Shops Network'..or 'Nest Project'  are bringing together, helping, re-imagining, creating and recycling old store locations and or even neighborhoods, by offering the possibility.. using this locations for social enterprises, artists, upcoming entrepreneurs, local organizations,..etc.. transforming this empty high street image into a new more social climate and environment,.. where people, interact, again, with one another, the way it was before.




Have a look, how the Empty Shops Network,...see it...

emptyshops.wordpress.com

Just have a look, how we can do much more....together..an example or how, by being creative, we can  change an empty store..and or neighborhood...

                                         

                                                             






nestproject.wordpress.com

facebook.com/NestProject














Dear city counselor,...some great ideas, how to start changing your city center...

As you can see, it is time to re-imagine our high streets,...let them become community pools,...where people meet each other, interact, exchange ideas, products, services. We have to get a way from this 'all the same' looking un-personal retail streets, offering the same stores every where.

As already explained in previous post, there is a need and a desire for the return to the old social values,...

So lets sit together and start the change...lets tackle the empty store problem...