Shopping is a private matter and success in retailing comes from meeting the needs and wants of private buyers. And most of the time these days our high streets simply don’t.
In India I was fascinated to drive through whole towns which specialised in making one type of product. It could be stone carvings, wooden doors, flower pots or whatever, while streets dedicated to the manufacture of one product and many different price levels. I assumed it was an Indian thing but reading your excellent article I discover it’s as much a European thing as Indian. As a Brit I wouldn’t know this of course, being used to abundance and variety at every turn! I jest but it’s interesting to bite that the biggest market in Europe in medieval times was not on continental Europe but on St Giles Hill in Winchester, sadly no longer a market place but no less important because of it.
Fascinating stuff (and of course I agree with the basic principle). Last month in City A.M. I recalled the introduction of Big Bang to the London Stock Exchange in 1986, and was reminded how restrictive the LSE had become over time; in the 17th century, as you know, they booted stock-iobbers out of the Exchange so they set themselves up in the growing number of coffee shops. Proof of your point that enterprise will find a way.
"you can’t make something, let alone a high street, successful by government action". I'd just be happy if my local city's Green/Labour council would stop actively making life harder for traders by flogging off chunks off parking and making the rest of it appallingly expensive.
I think you're right about the variety of options that are popular now. I've noticed that garden centres are excellent around my way for clothes (if you're boring like me) and homewares of various sorts. Same with farmshops really. And I do so love them both.
In India I was fascinated to drive through whole towns which specialised in making one type of product. It could be stone carvings, wooden doors, flower pots or whatever, while streets dedicated to the manufacture of one product and many different price levels. I assumed it was an Indian thing but reading your excellent article I discover it’s as much a European thing as Indian. As a Brit I wouldn’t know this of course, being used to abundance and variety at every turn! I jest but it’s interesting to bite that the biggest market in Europe in medieval times was not on continental Europe but on St Giles Hill in Winchester, sadly no longer a market place but no less important because of it.
Fascinating stuff (and of course I agree with the basic principle). Last month in City A.M. I recalled the introduction of Big Bang to the London Stock Exchange in 1986, and was reminded how restrictive the LSE had become over time; in the 17th century, as you know, they booted stock-iobbers out of the Exchange so they set themselves up in the growing number of coffee shops. Proof of your point that enterprise will find a way.
https://www.cityam.com/on-this-day-big-bang-hits-the-square-mile/
"you can’t make something, let alone a high street, successful by government action". I'd just be happy if my local city's Green/Labour council would stop actively making life harder for traders by flogging off chunks off parking and making the rest of it appallingly expensive.
I think you're right about the variety of options that are popular now. I've noticed that garden centres are excellent around my way for clothes (if you're boring like me) and homewares of various sorts. Same with farmshops really. And I do so love them both.