The Vacant Shops Academy

First signs of Spring in your town or city centre…?

If you’re still togged up in gloves, scarf and woolly hat and think I may be losing it, bear with…

I ask because tho this is typically the time of year when #highstreet businesses planning an exit will do that having stayed in for Christmas / New Year (and as ever we are seeing some of that)…

…we’re also nearing the start of the lettings season when, with the first main calendar milestone of the year – Easter – ahead, would-be new occupants often step up the pace.

So I’m interested to see what’s happening on the ground. Are there units going under offer, Heads of Terms being exchanged, viewings taking place.

Maybe long time development / refurb projects are taking a step forward or planned new openings are on.

It’d be great to hear what #property and #placemaking colleagues are seeing locally.

In town centres we’re working, there are certainly positive agent, landlord, new tenant and keen interest updates around – including from community organisations we’re exploring opportunities with alongside #retail and #hospitality options.

Do let us know…

Who are you talking to as potential new tenants for the empty units in your town or city centre…?

I really hope that if you’re one of the potential lead organisations – a council, BID or chamber – you are at least on the tackling #highstreet vacancy case.

All our experience stretching back to 2013 now is that where agents, landlords, businesses, community, cultural organisations, council(s), chamber, BID where there is one and others identified locally work together on this you can make a difference to the number of empty units and mix of uses you have, and do so more quickly and sustainably.

In some places the main focus of that work will be attracting #retail, #hospitality and services.

But where your vacancy rate is mid / high teens or even over 20%, the approach might be more focused on arts & crafts, creative, culture, community, history & heritage, leisure, education, health and health & wellbeing as possible new tenants.

That’s been the focus of our work in a number of places in recent weeks, and it’s cheering to find the interest and enthusiasm for playing a part, the buzz you get when leaders of these organisations realise that it’s now a practical possibility for them and that help and support is available.

So to end by answering the question I posed at the outset: do go talk to that full range of potential use types, and work as a ‘place partnership’ to help them secure units. As you do, your town or city centre will see vacancy reduced – maybe halving the rate in 18 months or better – and be more varied and vibrant, so more attractive and resilient.

It’d be great to hear from #property colleagues and places that are along the road already…

Let’s step up our efforts to get former banks in town and city centres back into use.

With another tranche of closures having just been announced there are now more and more places with this as a challenge, and it’s not easy.

These are often large, high-rent units;

Their layout and sometimes frontage / windows rarely suit other uses without major works;

Many are in heritage buildings so have extra challenges around repurposing;

It’s not unusual for the bank to leave with time left in their lease so you’re looking at an assignment – known to be the trickiest kind of agreement to reach.

The good news is that there are #retail and especially #hospitality brands that are keen on this type of unit and are getting good at the conversion.

There are also a number of councils with grant funding schemes to help tackle the kind of issues you get in situations like this.

So is your place on the case…?

Are you talking to agents, landlords and the bank, if it’s still involved, about options;

Have your planners done some pre-work to make things easier for would-be tenants on the barriers and any conditions they’d ask;

Are you looking at arts & crafts, creative, culture, community, history & heritage, leisure, education, health and health & wellbeing as possible occupiers;

Is a split possible, maybe separating off the upper floors if it has them;

Might #popupshop / ‘meanwhile… use’ be a way forward…?

We’re really keen to share learning on this very significant #highstreet challenge, and would love to hear case studies too…

I’ve shared almost 100 positive #highstreet news stories from my timeline so far this month.

It’s January.

There’s 3 days more to go.

And still. Averaging 4 sent across, every day.

I get that it’s challenging in our town and city centres, that we have a huge amount still to do. But…

Surely that’s enough to warrant a sliver of good news breaking into the generally gloomster national media narrative. Surely…?

The stories I’ve shared with our good friend Laura Harris for her brilliant #HighStreetPositives campaign include:

+ Brand #retail and  #hospitality openings;

+ Previously online-only businesses launching bricks & mortar;

+ New independent shops and venues or those celebrating milestones;

+ Agents and #property directors publishing requirements lists for additional locations;

+ Proactive projects and initiatives by councils, BIDs and others in their places;

+ Upbeat trading reports.

And yet…

Industry bodies stick to their long held strategy of painting the high street as being in trouble and needing help as if that’s the only way to get government attention, a majority of media outlets and analysts that feed them continue to favour ‘death of…’ stories because that’s supposed to win more clicks, and an odd collection of others chime in because it serves their anti-ruling-party politics.

So – assuming we’re not imagining the positives we’re seeing on the ground, every day – how do we turn the narrative…?

Please help. Do share cheering stories from your place or its businesses. Go…!

What do your vacant #highstreet units look like on the inside, especially if they’re the long-time, tricky-to-let ones.

Do you know…? Has your tackling vacancy-focused ‘place partnership’ been and taken a look. It’d be great to hear if you have and what you thought.

I’m a big fan of the local team – town or BID manager, council planning, building control and, where involved, conservation officers, plus architects, cultural organisation leads and others identified locally – trying this approach rather than think it’s just a commercial #property agent-landlord thing.

To start with it’s much easier to get a sense of the options…

• What could the unit be let to;
• Would it be best split up, uppers separated off, or grounds divided into smaller units;
• What sort of condition is it in. Is the cost to sort that potentially prohibitive, what are the barriers;
• Is #popupshop / ‘meanwhile… use’ an option;
• Is vinyling or wallart / shutterart the only realistic choice for now;
• And importantly, could one or more of the stakeholders help…?

I’d really encourage places with vacancy rates in the mid / high teens or over 20%, and especially those with large, ex- department store or #retail brand, big bank units, to try this.

For sure I’d say it greatly increases your chances of finding a solution and one that works best for the town centre and your wider tackling vacancy strategy.

Go for it…!

For those of you used to seeing (or maybe even using) the words “greedy” or “absentee” every time you read “landlord”, conversations in recent weeks have suggested some alternatives.

How about “struggling”, “anxious”, “at a loss”, “prepared to try things”…?

It’s one of the (many) reasons we so strongly believe in every town and city centre having a proactive, positive tackling #highstreet vacancy-focused ‘place partnership’ to take on challenges like this together.

The changes we’ve seen in recent years, especially the demise of some department stores, national brands moving out-of-town and banks closing, have left many locations with large, empty and often tricky to let buildings.

Maybe they need re-purposing, to have the upper floors separated off, the ground divided up, a different kind of use, #popup occupiers or vinyling while we sort out the long term – maybe a combination of all those.

But from a landlord perspective, what if you:

• Bought when there was a tenant paying rent that unexpectedly left;
• Had brand #retail or a bank in and now have no hope of securing new tenants for the kinds of sums they paid;
• Are relying on the income for your pension or as a basis for loans;
• Now pay business rates as well as getting zero rent;
• Don’t have the capital to fund major works;
• Are wondering about planning permission you may not win.

Still I’m sensing some reading this will have little or no sympathy.

Be that as it may. I’d argue that the case is made for the ‘place’ to take this on. Have agents, landlords, businesses, community, cultural organisations, council planners, conservation officers and economic development teams, chamber leaders, BID managers where there is one go visit.

See from the inside what could be done on layout, condition etc, which use types might suit and how to attract them, consider ‘meanwhile… use’ and importantly, agree ways you can all play a part.

I’d say you’re more likely to get a quicker more sustainable solution and one that better suits the place, its residents, existing businesses and visitors. You…?

A really intriguing part of our tackling #highstreet vacancy work of late has been conversations with local housing association colleagues, school, college, library / leisure services leaders and, next week, police officers about playing a part – even as far as taking on an empty unit for their organisation.

If you haven’t already, might it be worth exploring in your place…?

It’s a feature of our #TheVacantShopsAcademy approach that we’re testing options beyond #retail, #hospitality & services including arts & crafts, creative, culture, community, history & heritage, leisure, education, health and health & wellbeing. And it’s especially a potential go to for places with mid- / high teens or over 20% vacancy rates where these ‘alternative’ or additional use types might be more likely to make things happen.

Options could include:

• community hubs;
• extra space when they’ve reached capacity in their own buildings;
• chance to be in the typically more accessible town centre when their base is in a location mostly reached by car;
• innovating with service offers they’ve not tried before;
• And maybe others we’ve not yet thought of…?

At the heart of it is the idea that where national brands or indies are hesitant – for now at least – these community uses could take on units, solo or in collaboration, improve the look of an empty, boost footfall, support your existing businesses and help kick start a revival by creating a momentum that commercial operators then follow.

Though its early days, we’ve had some really encouraging discussions in places we’re working, and there is a growing portfolio of examples around the country to draw on, so…

It’d be great to hear from #property and #placemaking colleagues who are on the case with these types of uses already…

Promoting your existing town or city centre businesses and making sure you support them as best you can is a really important, but sometimes lost, part of a tackling #highstreet vacancy project.

In our work with #TheVacantShopsAcademy we often find that empty ‘shops’ dominate the narrative, media coverage and resident perceptions, and the great brand & indie #retail, #hospitality and services businesses and organisations your place does have get forgotten.

It’s another of the reasons we believe so strongly in a positive, proactive ‘place partnership’ because, while it’s bringing agents, landlords, businesses, community, cultural organisations, council(s), chamber and BID where there is one together to help reduce vacancy numbers and improve the mix of uses, it can co-ordinate a ‘promote’ effort too.

That might mean:
+ Print, broadcast and social media campaigns;

+ Training to develop skills;

+ Joint initiatives such as restaurant week, activity around events in the calendar or similar;

+ Business support to build resilience.

All this is based on the idea that the very last thing you need while working hard to recruit new occupiers for empty units is to see some of those you have closing (if you can help it – and it’s important to realise there are sometimes factors beyond your influence).

Is your place doing the very best it can to ‘promote’ and support what you have. It’d be great to hear…

It’s interesting how often a single empty building or a small number of them feel like they hold the key to the future for a whole town or city centre, even when they’re only one or a few out of a hundred or more.

It’s one of the (many) reasons why we urge #TheVacantShopsAcademy locations to get a ‘place partnership’ in play to work together on tackling whatever issues are causing vacancy, and play the part they can in guiding new uses.

It means existing businesses, community, cultural organisations, council(s), chamber, BID where there is one getting involved in the conversation and maybe even contributing in a practical way…

What might the building be used for…?

• we as a ‘place’ can ask what’s missing in our offer and would add to the mix, then help identify and attract potential candidate occupiers;
• would splitting it up help. Maybe separate uses on upper floors or dividing the ground into smaller units or both…?
• planning, conservation and building control teams with architects and developers could do some pre-work on the possibilities. Is there a grant scheme to help fund any works required;

Is there a way to have it look the best it can while this process plays out…?

• Is the ‘place’ up for facilitating a #popupshop initiative or vinyling.

You may find when you check that the unit is already under offer with a would-be occupier or that an architect is readying re-purposing plans. It may tho be proving tricky to let and the #property agent and landlord welcome your ‘place partnership’ input. But if you don’t ask…

It’d be great to hear how your place is getting involved…

We’ve chosen as an illustration prominent buildings from recent out & abouts, tho of course they may or might not match this conversation. But there’s no shortage of locations with examples that do.