High Street: How our town centres can bounce back from the retail crisis

The high street is in crisis due to the global pandemic, but it was already raging in 2019 with thousands of store closures. This book takes a long view of retailing based on a hundred case studies and explores current trends affecting town centers and how places are responding. It is optimistic that adaptable town centers can become the diverse, characterful, independent places that existed before they were homogenized by big retail.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 01 July 2023
Publisher: RIBA Publishing

The high street is facing a significant crisis, with the pandemic exacerbating the situation. While the pandemic has undoubtedly made things worse, it is not the sole cause of the crisis. In fact, the crisis was already brewing in 2019, with thousands of store closures.

Large retailers became complacent and failed to adapt to changing consumer behavior. As a result, town centers have become the victims of these changes rather than the cause. To understand the current crisis and potential solutions, this book takes a long view of retailing through a hundred case studies. It examines how town centers responded to previous crises and explores current trends affecting them.

The message is optimistic: adaptable town centers can once again become diverse, characterful, and independent places, reminiscent of their pre-big retail homogenization.

To explore the past, understand the present, and find a better future, this book provides valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities facing the high street.

Weight: 706g
Dimension: 190 x 247 x 17 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781914124303