Overview
- Voices of Retail, a nationwide study by Faire and Spring & Autumn Fair, polled 2,040 shoppers and 650 retailers to identify what draws people to town centres.
- Shoppers’ top wishes are a bakery at 70%, free short-stay parking at 69%, and an independent coffee shop at 59%.
- People want fewer vape shops at 68%, empty or boarded units at 66%, gambling arcades at 52%, and bookmakers at 45%.
- Independent retailers report resilience, with 71% seeing stable or growing trade and 39% actively expanding despite cost pressures.
- The picture is uneven, with recent closures and the demolition of a shopping centre in Ashford, Kent underscoring ongoing strain from lost anchor tenants and rising maintenance costs.