New industry-wide programme rolled out in an effort to save the UK high street

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
May 23, 2017

Global corporates, industry bodies, startup innovators, media, and independent retailers have come together to launch a programme to support and empower more than 100,000 shopkeepers nationwide.

The companies forming SaveTheHighStreet.org, a coordinated industry-wide initiative, include AppearHere, Bink, the British Independent Retail Association, CityHouseMedia, CitySprint, emocial, Enterprise Nation, Google Digital Garage, Iconeme, Interactive Media in Retail Group, iZettle and JCDecaux, among others.

The group will tackle issues including how to merge online-offline, high street footfall decline, growing competition, rents, rates and many extortionate bricks-and-mortar overall costs. 

“The high street has never changed so much or so fast. If local shops aren't supported through this change there is a real risk that our high streets become Amazon pickup points, blocks of flats, boarded up ghost towns or lookalike chains. Uniting as an industry around this is arguably the most important local commerce initiative this decade. We are all impacted by the success or failure of high streets,” commented Alex Schlagman, founding partner of SaveTheHighStreet.org and CEO of PocketHighStreet.

The organisation is designing best-in-class industry standards ‘by the retailer for the retailer’, which will provide the necessary information to succeed in today’s high street and for generations to come.

It is also hosting a conference on 25 September in London where retailers, industry and media will discuss recommendations and establish the first-ever set of high street retail Industry Standards.

Shopkeepers are invited to join the movement by signing up at www. savethehighstreet.org and receive weekly newsletter with updates on the recommendations.