We’re now in the middle of what would traditionally be the busiest period in the retail calendar and for the probably for the first time ever in the peak season, most shops were shuttered for four weeks.
For any retailer forced to close their doors, it has been a period of frustration akin to accidentally shredding a winning lottery ticket just as the numbers are being announced.
Planning a January Sale might also be working against greater odds than for any lottery windfall, as we face the prospect of weeks’ more lockdown after being allowed a few days off the leash over Christmas.
It was a bit of a game of chance too to see which areas would come under which set of new rules upon the easing of lockdown – guidelines that seem like they were dreamt up by ministers playing an epically random game of consequences while taking liberal advantage of the House of Commons drinking facilities, along with ‘a substantial meal’ of course.
Add to this mix the prospect of a no-deal Brexit and for many, it’s not so much the season to be jolly careful as a time to be bloody terrified about what we’ll be facing in the new year.
I’m sure I’m not alone in wanting to lob heavy objects at the TV screen every time that government advert comes on telling me that “getting ready can take longer than you think”. In the case of the government, it’s taken about four years longer than they told us it would and we’re still all in the dark.
“It does seem that commercial rents may be starting to venture out of the land of pantomime into something approaching reality”
All that said, there may be some bright spots on the horizon that I hope aren’t just ICBMs that Trump has launched during one of his post-election tantrums.
It does seem that commercial rents may be starting to venture out of the land of pantomime into something approaching reality. Like the second ugly sister, business rates should follow behind, but given the amount he’s been spending of late, I suspect that will be to shouts from Rishi Sunak of, “Oh no they won’t!”
On a slightly more optimistic note, I recently took part in an event seeking to ‘reimagine’ Bicester town centre – yes there is a real town behind the film set façade of the ‘village’ outlet park. A year on from a similar event, which starred the equally theatrical Bill Grimsey, we were treated to a self-congratulatory video about how well things went during the first ‘reimagining’.
Doubtless, no one then imagined what we’d be facing now, with Bicester’s high street recently described by the local press as ‘hollowed out’ after yet more stores gave up the ghost.
Bill popped in briefly to rally enthusiasm for the task of resurrecting a high street competing with development so all-encompassing it’s seemingly possessed of its own event horizon. It remains to be seen if that enthusiasm translates into practical results.
But I’m hopeful that even in places like this there will be opportunities to rebuild a high street experience that will be appropriate for a new age. It’s arguable that we’re facing similar challenges to our forebears after the devastation of the Second World War.
Following a period of global economic and social destruction, we have a chance to rebuild and to realign our town centres with an offer that responds to modern consumer expectations.
“Following a period of global economic and social destruction we have a chance to rebuild and to realign our town centres with an offer that responds to modern consumer expectations”
One that looks forward to new challenges rather than trying to recreate a golden age that probably didn’t glister as much as we remember.
In that sense, there may be something positive to come out of the carnage that has been wrought in 2020 and may yet be in store for us in 2021.
So, having mustered all the positivity I can, I’ll wish everyone the most prosperous Christmas possible. I won’t tempt fate further by raising expectations of a happy new year, but I hope at least that it will be better than this one. Let’s face it, that’s a pretty low bar.
2 Readers' comments