The Vacant Shops Academy

Would anyone mind if I think optimistically of the prospects for the #highstreet in 2025.

I know many of you will have – as I did – spent time over Christmas and New Year wading through the tide of gloomster releases and reporting on footfall, sales and the like.

So how do I get to optimism despite all that…? Well.

The first set of actual figures from national brands are almost entirely positive: “exceptional”, “a bumper Christmas performance…”, “strong Christmas growth…”, “sales have soared as Black Friday and Christmas campaigns pay off…”, “new records for the Christmas period”, “another record golden quarter.”

+ Already some brands are setting out plans to open additional stores. Waterstones for example “plan to open at least 12 new stores in the UK this year.”

+ We ended 2024 sharing with #TheVacantShopsAcademy locations and others a lengthy set of requirements lists from agents and property directors setting out their targets for new stores and venues. They’ll be cracking on with those now.

And from towns and city centres we’re working with:

+ council and BID teams checking in on the initial vacancy data from our ‘audit’ are now reporting ‘empty & available’ units turning to ‘under offer’ and that leading to ‘let’;

+ places that saw vacancy rise in 2023 are also reporting new openings and deals nearing completion to further reduce their headline rate;

+ As more locations get a ‘place partnership’ in play (rather than leaving tackling vacancy be ‘just an agents-landlord’ thing) they’ll start to see vacancy reduce too.

And as places find new ways to support ‘alternative’ or ‘additional’ uses – arts & crafts, creative, culture, community, history & heritage, leisure, education, health and health & wellbeing – to take up spaces, that’ll further impact the figures.

Hopefully from that you’ll see why I favour #HighStreetPositives over gloom.

As a song you’ll have heard a bit in recent weeks runs: “You may say I’m a dreamer. But I’m not the only one…”

And as a Ps. Just so I’m not called Pollyanna again. I should say two things. I get that it remains challenging, there are ‘headwinds’ and we’ve much still to do, and I know that there are one or two brands making less positive noises. But…

What do #property and #placemaking colleagues think…?

Really liked that our first briefing note of the new year was setting out for a local school suggestions of the very many ways they can play a significant and impactful part in a tackling #highstreet vacancy project for their town.

Education is one key element of a group of potential uses for vacant units which also includes arts & crafts, creative, culture, community, history & heritage, leisure, health and health & wellbeing, alongside #retail, #hospitality and services…

…but – as my note showed – there’s so much more they can contribute.

On taking vacant units, it’s not that easy to find many examples across the places we’re working with #TheVacantShopsAcademy or visiting because there are challenges around staff time, classroom & exam commitments, funding.

Certainly though, on a pop up basis and possibly for longer, we believe a school, college or university could take on an empty unit or building:

+ As extra classrooms;

+ For arts & crafts exhibition or performance space;

+ To showcase or even sell student-made products;

+ As a community hub for parents;

+ To host inter-generational workshops where young people and older exchange skills and learning.

Beyond that students, their parents, former pupils, feeder schools and local companies signed up as school or college business partners can also play a part in:

+ consultation about what the town centre needs going forward;

+ streetart, wall art & shutterart – both design and delivery;

+ planting projects;

+ live briefs where students work with town centre shops or venues on business planning, marketing, social media;

& more.

We’ve seen proactive examples of education directly involved in their town or city centre including Gloucester, Poole, Kingston. No doubt property and placemaking colleagues will know of others they can share. It’d be great to hear from you…

…and we very much hope 2025 will be a year those case studies spread. 

Wandering our nearest town centre and wondering: if it ran a survey of residents and businesses to ask what they’d like to see take on its empty #highstreet unit opportunities, what answers we’d get.

What would be the response if you asked residents and businesses the same in your town or city centre…?

It’s not a place we’ve ever run our tackling vacancy approach so the backstory and barriers to let of the vacants it has is intriguing.

It does have…

+ A mix of national #retail and #hospitality brands;

+ Strong representation of banks and building societies;

+ A diverse and growing number of food & drink outlets;

+ Established independents including an award-winning bookshop;

+ A convenience offer with new multicultural additions;

+ Health & beauty, salons, coffee shops, bookmakers and charity shops are well represented;

+ It’s one of the places that’s added a library, hotel, co-working, health services, refill store and a makers collective to the mix.

It has a world-renowned out-of-town outlet village marking its 30th birthday plus a new M&S, Next-led shopping zone, two rail stations, and a major, edge-of-town housing development adding to its population.

Interestingly for this conversation it also has a number of vacant units, different sizes and condition, some of those longtime now, many of them large ex- national brand stores or former banks.

So what would our survey say people would like to fill them…? Does that match what this market town might attract. And how might a ‘place partnership’ get there quicker.

What do you think…?

We talk a lot on here about empty units, and what might take those spaces, about town and city centres, policy and projects, awesome heritage buildings, #streetart and installations…

…and maybe not enough about the most important part of all this – the people.

I often say there’s no such thing as a council. It’s not a thing. If it’s not getting something the way you’d like in your place, it’s not because there’s something inherently wrong with the infrastructure, and when you see one doing something great it won’t certainly mean yours will do the same. What makes the difference in these and all the organisations involved in #place making is the people.

With our focus on tackling #highstreet vacancy they’re the ones who’ll make up that ‘place partnership’: the individual proactive agents, engaged landlords, business owners and their teams, community leaders and volunteers, cultural organisation managers and creatives, councillors and officers, BID CEOs, their boards and staff. 

To everyone who’s working hard to make their place the best it can be. It’s great working with you and seeing the impact you’re making…!

It’s challenging still but there’s sooooo much great work being done, so many #HighStreetPositives to share and learn from.

Locations we’re working with for #TheVacantShopsAcademy are seeing striking reductions in empty ‘shops’ numbers, with encouraging signs of more to come, if we can only inspire other place leaders and managers to take on the approach, to believe it works, because it does…

…and that, finally, the long-stuck 14% national vacancy rate will start to fall.

Here’s hoping…! 

Kind of neat to find myself in this city as we approach another tackling #highstreet vacancy milestone…

It was 24/12 three years ago next week that I shut the lap top on my Oxford City Centre Manager role and started #TheVacantShopsAcademy.

It’s been an exciting journey so far. Visiting towns and cities I’d not seen, meeting great people working hard to make their places the best they can be, and learning a huge amount.

We’ve been sooooo lucky to have been able to take our ‘audit, engage, encourage, promote’ approach to 36 different locations to date, with new additions in the pipeline for 2025.

Thanks to the efforts of those local stakeholders: agents, landlords, businesses, community, cultural organisations, councils, chambers, BIDs and others identified locally, we’re starting to see some very striking changes in the headline empty ‘shops’ numbers, and places improving the mix of use types they have.

Another intriguing year lies ahead, including seeing how the new High Street Rental Auction power for local authorities plays out.

We’ll also, I believe, see the additional uses alongside #retail, #hospitality & services: arts & crafts, creative, cultural, community, history & heritage, leisure, education, health, health & wellbeing, continue to play a bigger part as the learning about the extra support they often need is shared more widely.

Challenging times still, especially in town and city centres where empties are an issue but who’ve not yet got a tackling vacancy-focused ‘place partnership’ in play, but positives too…

…and maybe, finally, we can see that national 14% vacancy rate turn…! 

“It does need more shops, so that there’s more to choose from.”

This from one of the people interviewed by a TV crew as part of a piece about the #highstreet…

…and it struck me how often you hear that if you talk to people about their town or city centres.

But wait. What about “forget #retail”, “change completely”, “death of…”, and the other messages we keep getting.

We’re all shopping online. We prefer out-of-town retail parks. Highstreets need more experiential. You should go for hair and beauty, coffee shops and leisure – things you cannot buy by pressing buttons.

So why do we keep hearing quotes like the one the tv reporter chose to use…?

+ Do we say stuff we don’t mean when faced with a camera or survey.

Are we thinking shops but not the ones we end up with.

+ Or would we support them in enough numbers but the commercial #property market isn’t delivering that or can’t…?

When we’re setting out ‘next steps’ for the tackling vacancy-focused ‘place partnerships’ we urge locations working with #TheVacantShopsAcademy to set up, figuring out which retailers would add to the mix and trying to attract them is very much part of the story. It varies in time and between places, but is always there.

So DO we need more shops…?

I’d be interested to hear your thoughts…?

That long-stuck 14% national vacancy rate must surely start to come down now.

I say that based on two things:

+ Feedback from locations we’re working on tackling #highstreet vacancy with #TheVacantShopsAcademy, who are seeing their headline empty ‘shops’ rates fall, in some places very significantly (20-75%);

+ The government’s new High Street Rental Auctions (HSRA) power is now in play for local authorities to use and very detailed guidance on the ‘how’ has been published.

It’d be great to hear from council and BID colleagues who are preparing to make use of HSRA.

…and it’s this I’d argue raises hopes of some real positive momentum on tackling vacancy, nationally, because it asks councils (or partners, potentially BIDs, who run this with them) to take a number of steps in preparation, all of which tie in with the ‘audit, engage, encourage, promote’ approach we’re using and know works.

The guidance says: 

“We encourage the local authority to create a register for the purpose of identifying potential vacant properties.” (‘audit’);

“We want to see local authorities working proactively with landlords…” (‘engage’);

“Where a landlord is not proactive or has been unable to secure a tenant, local authorities should consider whether there is likely to be interest from prospective tenants were the premises available at the Minimum Standard and at a fair market rent.” (‘encourage’).

Having seen our approach make a positive impact on vacancy rates down the years and across a variety of locations, I believe that getting a ‘place partnership’ in play and just starting to take these steps will make a difference, even before places get to the auction stage itself.

So. Let’s do this…!

We’d love to share the approach with town and city centre teams who are starting out on the journey, and would be really happy to connect you with council and BID colleagues who are already working it in their places.

I always enjoy my visits here.

Heritage buildings and ventures, frequent reminders of its history, a variety of brands, long established indies, new arrivals, #retail, #hospitality, services, arts & crafts, creative, culture playing their part, waterways with a new leisure offer alongside, public space, innovating, people working hard to make it the best it can be. What did I miss…?

Banbury town centre is an important part of my own journey to #TheVacantShopsAcademy and taught us much that is in the ‘audit, engage, encourage, promote’ approach to tackling #highstreet empty ‘shops’ issues we’re now using to support local teams  in town and city centres around the country – 36 of them to date and counting.

We’re not involved here these days tho a number of good friends are.

So this is Christmas…

…and if I’m allowed one wish it’s that here, and wherever empty ‘shops’ and your mix of uses is a challenge, agents, landlords, businesses, community, cultural organisations, councils, chamber, BID and others identified locally get a positive, proactive ‘place partnership’ in play to maximise the benefit of their individual skills, effort, resources and powers, start to bring your vacancy numbers down, adjust the balance of types and switch the narrative.

The approach works, we know it does, and if vacancy is too high in your place or residents, businesses or members are worried about that mix, we’d love to talk you through it…

Let’s be really ambitious about the role schools and colleges can play in helping tackle vacancy in our town and city centres.

We should maybe agree at the outset that it’s challenging: limitations on staff time plus curriculum and exam commitments are going to need overcoming.

But…

It’s easy to see how young people can play a positive role in the wider #placemaking elements of our #TheVacantShopsAcademy projects:

+ Helping design and paint #streetart installations;

+ Gardening clubs taking on #highstreet planting initiatives;

+ Drawing on creative and performance skills to activate public spaces.

What would be amazing tho would be to go beyond that and see education organisations actually take on vacant units, maybe as community hubs for parent engagement or inter generational learning, as extra classrooms or as a showcase for arts & crafts, creative, hospitality, hairdressing and other talents.

Where it’s a college with design, engineering or trades skills courses they could also play a part in getting the empty units into shape.

It would also help your place tap into the huge resource that is the parents network and also of alumni.

What have I missed…?

As I say, it’s far from straightforward but would love to hear examples…

Retail is very much still part of the #highstreet mix. 

Shops are typically top of or at least prominent on any list of what residents say they want from their town or city centre when asked. 

A number of brands have extensive requirements lists and new opening programmes to add to their current holdings.

So it was a relief to read the following in the recent House of Lords Built Environment Committee report on this issue:

“Retail will always remain a vital component of the high street but local communities are increasingly seeking out restaurants and leisure activities as well as wanting to see more public services in their town centres.”

“…will always remain a vital component of…”

It feels more nuanced and thus practical than the “forget retail”, “change completely”, “death of…” messaging we’ve had before, and it certainly fits better with what we’re seeing in a range of places with #TheVacantShopsAcademy.

That’s not to say the same applies equally everywhere. For many of the locations we’re working on tackling vacancy, arts & crafts, creative, cultural, community, history & heritage, leisure, education, health, health & wellbeing have a significant, maybe bigger, role as potential targets to fill those empties.

The crucial thing is that the exact balance will vary by location and that’s why everywhere that has empty units as an issue needs a tackling vacancy-focused ‘place partnership’ on the case, to work out where the line is drawn for them.

We’re always very happy to talk to places about what that approach looks like and how to deploy it in your town or city centre. Do ask…!