High street will never be same again after Covid - Kevin Buckle

Last week I was opening my boxes and was surprised to find one full of DVDs. It transpired it was a mistake and the box should have gone to the nearby Morrisons.

However, it immediately made me wonder why Morrisons needed such a large box of DVDs, given the current situation.

Of course the answer is simple that clearly while shoppers are picking up their essential food, they are adding DVDs to their basket.

Now it would be churlish to deny people their children’s films and action movies, but I think anybody could understand that HMV, for instance, might feel they have been put at a disadvantage.

This is the problem many retailers are facing. While those with a high street and online presence do their best to shift priorities as lockdowns come and go, those whose entire business is online have no such juggling to perform and those on the high street that can remain open are cleaning up.

It is clear from all the recent high street closures, where it is only the brand name and online site that is bought, that the big online sellers see this as a time to hoover up all the goodwill these brands have built up over decades and sometimes centuries.

Add in the behemoth that is Amazon and it is not hard to see that the pandemic has given an advantage to the online businesses that many high street businesses will never recover from and will leave others that were otherwise strong severely weakened.

The easy option is just to say that all the pandemic has done is speed things up, but that is certainly not always the case.

Businesses that were gradually and successfully transforming their high street shops while expanding online have had those plans thrown completely into disarray.

News this week that business rates will once again be waived for the financial year is very welcome, but this just has to be the start of plans to support the high street.

The situation is far more complex and nuanced than most seem to understand, and while big statements like this are welcomed, what is needed most is a plan for the high street actually created by the high street.

The general consensus from businesses big and small is that nobody is going to understand the situation until we are in full “recovery”, and then it becomes clear that businesses are not recovering as well as expected.

Again, by businesses here I mean retailers and not hospitality, which for all it has suffered, will recover well.

Similarly I’ve no doubt the pop-up businesses will reappear to take money away from full time retailers as soon as things start to improve.

The first big test will hopefully be next Christmas when retail and hospitality businesses alike will be hoping for a bumper festive period and will not need any competition bussed in by the council.

For now, shops, pubs and restaurants will just be glad to get open again and take things from there.