Fashion Roundtable Advises MPs On The Importance Of High-Street Regeneration

Last week, in our capacity as Secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Ethics and Sustainability in Fashion, Fashion Roundtable hosted a jam-packed meeting on regenerating the high street, sponsored by academics from Manchester Metropolitan University and Metropolis.

The meeting entitled, ‘Building Community Agency Through The Purposeful Use Of Unused Retail Spaces,’ was in direct response to the state of our high streets at a national level. Research conducted by Fashion Roundtable, provided evidence that the Covid-19 pandemic, Brexit, shifts to digital rather than ‘bricks and mortar’ shopping, and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis have changed consumer behaviour, alongside record retail closures.

A must-read, with quotes from speakers across the country and access to our full briefing.

The Vanishing High Street And Why Placemaking Is Key

“There's no doubt that the British High Street has taken a battering over the last few years. Not only have retailers had to contend with Covid, but Brexit and now the ongoing cost-of-living crisis have decimated the high street as we know it. In 2021, PWC reported that 17,500 chain stores closed in 2020 alone. Now with many high streets focused on recovery, consumers want something new. “

2023Tamara CincikMay 9, 2023placemaking, high street, prosumption, retail

May Political Intelligence

After a series of debates, meetings, headlines and speeches monitoring Theresa May’s progress in deciding the fate of Europe and the UK, the Prime Minister announced her resignation as Party Leader after three years in office on the 24th of May.

DespatchTamara CincikJune 18, 2019Extinction Rebellion, business rates, high street, brexit

Minutes For The APPG For Textiles And Fashion On Retail: The Future Of High Streets And Online Shopping

The APPG for Textiles and Fashion will join policy leaders, retailers, and academics to discuss how to navigate the changing retail environment. The retail sector experienced a harsh 2018, marked by closures, fall in spending and a shift to the online shopping space. Government, media and organisations were quick to respond, with the Housing, Communities and Local Governments Committee launching and concluding an inquiry into the High Streets and Town Centres in 2030.

MinutesTamara CincikMay 14, 2019Textiles and Fashion APPG, retail, online retail, high street

Exclusive Q&A on the High Streets and Town Centres in 2030 report. By Rafaella de Freitas

The High Streets and Town Centres 2030 report was the conclusion of an inquiry led by the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee of the House of Commons. Town centres and the shopping experience have been reinvented with the next day deliveries, free returns and the comfort on not leaving your house, provided by online stores. This, combined with changing demographics, the trend of moving away from small towns to cities and the domination of chain commerce (how many Costa coffee’s do you walk past on your way to work?) has prompted a massive shift in the usage and scope for town centres and high streets to survive (and thrive )as our shopping habits change.

The Committee’s inquiry sets out to understand the role of high streets and city centres in sustaining social, cultural and economic health to local communities, and to evaluate the impact of the changing high streets on these.

‘Their jobs are disappearing’: how the demise of the high street is killing women’s jobs by Poppy Noor

Retail roles were once ‘a golden ticket’ offering stability, flexible hours and proper holidays. Now huge job losses are hitting female employees hardest. Article by Poppy Noor, originally published on The Guardian.

Tamara CincikJuly 26, 2018politics, high street, Poppy Noor, The Guardian, Fashion, Women, retail, fashion retail

John Lewis Set To Rebrand By Sophie Dyer.

It is widely acknowledged that the retail sector is going through a period of generational change and every retailer’s response will be different. For the partnership, the focus is on greater differentiation – not scale,” A spokesperson for John Lewis said in a recent statement.

Informer