Open for Business with Gerard Richardson, MBE

Before I get into it this week, can I throw out a big thank you to Adrian and all his staff at Millets.

Adrian made a national store feel like a local business and he put his heart and soul into it.

It's utterly heartbreaking to see all their efforts lost with the announcement of the store's closure.

Whatever they all get up to next, I wish them well.

’High Streets risk collapse without immediate support’ was one of the main stories in the Daily Telegraph the other day and it went on to focus on business rates.

Similarly, every time there's a post on Facebook about our own suffering high streets, the same call rings out.

The problem with that argument is that many of the smaller local stores like ours receive a 100% rates rebate, so whatever gets in the way of a new business setting up, it ain't that.

The larger stores, many of which are national chains, do pay rates, but so many of the chain stores are mired in crippling debts that it's hard to blame rates alone.

Before we took the lease on our shop on Lowther Street, we dreamed of a store on King Street, the golden Mile (yeah, I know it's neither a mile long nor golden) but it was the eye-popping rents that put us off.

We used to watch national chains coming in with teams of shopfitters, decorators and professional cleaners, who then had massive opening day sales and we wondered what we were doing wrong.

As it turns out, by keeping within our means, we were doing it right and the massive borrowing that many retail chains undertook in the 80s drowned them in the 00s.

Dwindling footfall, supermarkets at every entrance to town and increased internet shopping are what dealt Whitehaven's high streets such painful blows.

Then just as it seemed nothing could get worse, every high street in the land became blighted by barber shops, nail bars and, in some cases, traders selling illegal cigarettes.

If the authorities jumped on tax evasion (cigarettes is just one of the ways to do it) and illegal employment for a start, the streets would soon breathe new life.

Ultimately though, and I've said it before, footfall is the only way to save shops and cafes so commercial properties that have stood empty for a number of years need to be approved for other use including office space and even residential.

Dodgy businesses need rooted out from all town centres not just our own and there needs to be more use of the town centre for events like ship visits, markets and casual street theatre.

All of this will encourage footfall and the rest as they say is up to us as retailers.

We need to have what people want which is why I firmly believe the future for retail is more of what we have ie specialised stores, backed up by good cafes and service businesses.

With locally owned retail businesses including Dixons Department store, Dixons Jewellers, Richardsons Fine Wines, Brooks Electrical, Michael Moons, Whitehaven Stationary, Haigs and Hamblings butchers, Kinsellas, Charles Menswear, Cumbria Tackle and Guns and Sportzone, the town still has enough of a retail core to attract shoppers but two or three more specialised stores would be a big bonus.

The question is, ‘are more potential retailers out there’?

Hats off to both the Town and County Councils by the way for doing their best to revitalise our once proud markets.

If Josh our MP and the County Council are successful in rooting out bad businesses and landlords then one or two of the market traders just might be tempted to swap canvas for bricks and mortar.

Fingers and toes folks, fingers and toes!