It's the economy, you see. We're all down on our luck, pulling in our reins, cutting back our spending.
Or are we?
Having worked in retail, it has always struck me as the least flexible industry and the one least willing to change.
Ever since Margaret Thatcher declared Britain a Nation of Shopkeepers, we've stuck doggedly to, and with misplaced national pride, a business formula which, all of a sudden, fails to take into account the market needs.
Take online retailing as a comparison. Despite recession, it continues to grow.
Peter Gold, Head of EMEA Retail, for commercial property specialists CBRE, commented recently that there has been “A change in our shopping behaviour has seen a boom in consumers shopping online."
It's a similar story with out of town shopping destinations. According to Trevor Wood Associates recent expansion in this sector has led to the vacancy rate for retail parks dropping to 6.8 per cent from 2010’s 7.9 per cent.
These are more than green shoots in a flailing economy.
But both of these industry sectors have something very similar in common and, specifically, in contrast to the traditional High Street. Their opening hours.
The internet, by its very nature, is open 24/7. You can shop when you want and, thanks to mobile phone technology, wherever you want.
Out of town retailers frequently stay open longer than their High Street counterparts, closing their doors at 9pm or 10pm and even, in the case of some supermarkets, staying open all night.
The High Street, by comparison, dogmatically refuses to bend, opening its doors at 9am, shutting them again at 5pm. Their excuse? Well hardly anyone comes in between 5pm and 6pm. At 9am, however, it's a common sight to see shoppers queuing out the door........
Like many so called consumers, I work full time. Which means that it is simply not possible to shop during "normal" High Street opening times. Put in simple terms, potential access to High Street shops every week is only 30% for me - hardly optimum.
For out of town stores, thanks to longer opening hours, that rises to 50%.
And for internet, it's 75% (I'm not sleeping in this scenario, just to prove a point).
Little surprise, then, that I spend more online than I ever do in person. Need a book? Amazon. Need some clothes? Next Online. Need some food? Just-Eat.co.uk. Need some groceries? Tesco.com. Need to travel? Expedia.co.uk.
Retail is not alone in perpetuating this limiting 9 to 5 culture. Other businesses do it too. Hairdressers. Beauty Salons. Doctors Surgeries. Cafes. The list goes on.
Which makes me wonder: are they really opening for business?
Strikes me they'd be better having the morning off and working later. Portas has a long list of recommendations on how to revitalise the High Street. 28 of them to be precise, covering things like market days and better business rates. None of the 28 recommendations suggest more flexible opening times.
Isn't it time, as a Nation of Shopkeepers, that we actually opened for business?
Hear hear, great reminder
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