Enterprise
and Business Committee
Inquiry
into Town Centre Regeneration
Evidence
from the British Retail Consortium
National
Assembly for Wales’s Enterprise and Business Committee
– Inquiry into the Regeneration of Town Centres
BRC
Covering Note
Introduction
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) welcomes the opportunity to
respond to National Assembly for Wales’s Enterprise and
Business Committee
– Inquiry into the Regeneration of Town Centres.
The BRC priorities in relation to the High Street are summarised in
the 21st Century High Streets report which will form the
cornerstone of our submission. Key elements of the BRC priorities
are set out in this covering note.
The BRC is the
lead trade association for the UK retail sector and the
authoritative voice of the industry to policy makers and the
media. We represent the whole range of retailers, from the
large multiples and department stores through to independents,
selling a wide selection of products through centre of town, out of
town, rural and virtual stores.
Retailing is at
the heart of Welsh cities, towns and villages and is vital to the
health of the Welsh economy. One in every eight households has
someone who works in retail and with many millions of visits by
consumers every year, retail plays a unique role in serving and
shaping our communities.
Retailing not
only drives the Welsh economy, its health is a visible barometer of
the economic climate. The British Retail Consortium, as the
authoritative voice of the industry, believes that with support,
help and commitment from politicians and Government, the retail
sector can help the Welsh economy to flourish.
Retail wants to
work withNational
Assembly for Wales
The BRC
welcomes the Assembly’s inquiry into the regeneration of
Welsh town centres but would note the Assembly has been slow to
engage with the retail sector in recent years. Retail is an
important part of the welsh economy with around 8,965 retail
businesses and 13,925 retail establishments. Employment within the
Welsh retail industry (around 139,000 people) accounts for around
10% of total employment.
If retail is to drive town centre regeneration it must fall under
the remit of a single Assembly Minister and a single department
that retailers can engage with. The BRC is encouraged that the
Assembly is now looking to tackle town centre regeneration and
recognises the importance of the retail sector.
BRC priorities
for Welsh town centre regeneration
The BRC priorities in relation to the High Street are summarised in
the 21st Century High Streets report. Key elements of
the BRC priorities are set out below for ease of
reference.
1)
Town centres
must be proactively managed and private sector
led:
Co-ordinated strategic management is crucial to the success of town
centre retail locations. This is often best delivered through a
local partnership (bringing together local retailers, other
businesses and the local authority) such as a Business Improvement
District (BIDS) or town centre management company. The private
sector is keen to form local partnership with authorities and other
stakeholders but they are few in number in Wales. Partnerships in
Wales tend to be dominated by the public sector and fail to
effectively leverage the appropriate financing or business
engagement required to deliver the tangible results.
2)
The
Assembly should focus on encouraging effective private sector
partnerships,
either through Business Improvement Districts or independently as a
means of focusing resources and delivering bespoke solutions to
often very different retail locations. BIDS deliver sustainable
solutions because they focus on the chief barriers to trade and
growth affecting the town centre in question. Funds are targeted on
specific initiatives which will benefit local businesses as well as
the wider community. Effective local partnerships between local
authorities and retailers initiated through a BID or independently
can help deliver more attractive and successful retail locations,
with local money invested, providing tangible local benefits. There
are already effective partnerships in Wales including Swansea BID
and the Wrexham Town Centre Manger initiative but many smaller
locations could also benefit from effective partnerships. Size and
location are of little tangible relevance to successful
partnerships with many smaller BIDs flourishing across the UK. In
fact the majority of new BIDs are now located in smaller centres.
Effective private sector led partnerships will help regenerate all
welsh town centres, both small and large.
3)
Monitor the
health of town centres
Effective town centre regeneration requires a clear strategy and
effective monitoring and management. Stakeholders both public and
private need to know what problems are being experienced in each
town centre in addition to identifying and building on the key
strengths. Without effective health checks identifying unique
weaknesses solutions will often be generic and
ineffective.
4)
Proactive and
engaging Assembly:
Effective town centre regeneration is driven by privately led local
partnerships but it is also essential that the issue is addressed
at a central level. It is paramount that the Assembly designate
town centre regeneration to one Department and one Assembly
Minister. This would provide clarity and direction and indicate
that the Welsh Assembly is taking the future of the Welsh retail
environments seriously; it would also provide a recognised
communication path for retailers who trade in Wales.
5)
Consumers must
come first:
Some interest groups have proposed placing additional burdens on
out of town and other retailing (eg imposing out of town car
parking charges/additional taxation/levies etc) to “level the
playing field” for in town retailing. We have been very clear
that this is entirely the wrong approach – the key must be to
“level up”, taking constructive steps to address the
challenges facing the High Street not penalising successful
retailers in other locations/channels.
6)
Small and large
retailers have complementary roles to play:Successful
High Streets have a complementary mix of large/national retailers
to attract footfall balanced with the diversity and interest which
small retailers may bring. Each has an important role to play in
securing a successful future for a retail location.
7)
Town Centres
are the heart of the community:
Town centres are at the heart of the community and provide more
than just a commercial outlet. They combine friendly personal
service with choice and value. Town centres need to provide
consumers with a good variety of unique independent businesses
offering a range of goods and services in addition to some national
high street retailers. Both retailers and Government need to
recognise the unique service town centres offer if they are to
continue to thrive into the years ahead.
Key policy
challenges:
The 21 Century High streets highlights six key policy challenges,
together with accompanying recommendations. Tackling these issues
can make a significant contribution to ensuring the success of a
High Street or town centre. A brief summary of these six issues is
set out below.
1)
Unique sense of
place:
High streets should seek to maximise the advantages of local
heritage or natural surroundings. The retail mix must complement
the public perception of a High Street’s identity. High
Streets must be marketed effectively – so that they
communicate accurately and meet the needs of customers using
them.
2)
Attractive
public realm:
It is essential to develop and maintain an attractive trading
environment. Public spaces must be maintained to the highest
standards – with effective deterrents against criminal
damage/vandalism. Co-ordinated efforts are vital to ensure that
public realm improvements and maintenance are compatible and
efficiently delivered.
3)
Planning for
success:
Partnership and collaborative working lie at the heart of all
successful retail-led regeneration. Effective monitoring of town
centre health should underpin any effective town centre
systems.
4)
Accessibility:
Parking and transport should be seen as a way to attract customers
to the High Street rather than simply a means of traffic management
or revenue raising. Incentives to use public transport should be
offered not penalties on motorists. Retail delivery curfews should
be reviewed to take account of advances in technology.
5)
Safety and
security:
Retail crime and anti-social behaviour must be robustly deterred,
with damaged property and streetscape restored as quickly as
possible. Meaningful deterrence requires a co-ordinated response by
all agencies. Local policing must meet the needs of the local
business community.
6)
Regulatory and
fiscal regimes:
The Business Improvement District or similar local partnership
should be the preferred mechanism for raising additional revenue or
solving local problems. Local regulation and enforcement must be
risk-based and proportionate.
Delivering
growth – a policy framework for Welsh retail
Private sector
businesses will drive future growth, with retail - the largest
private sector employer - in the lead. To allow the private sector
to create the jobs that will drive the economy forward, it’s
vital that the Government creates an environment that encourages
private sector investment.
The retail
sector in Wales requires a policy and legislative environment that
will encourage enterprise, competition, growth and innovation;
provide security for investment; and deliver key skills and
infrastructure.
With the advent
of the Assembly’s new legislative competencies the time is
now right to develop a new retail policy framework for Wales. A
partnership between our sector and the new Assembly Government will
create conditions for continued investment and sustainable
development to ensure that Wales is a competitive, world-class
retail destination.
We want to work
with the new Assembly Government to agree a retail framework that
will:
Support our
social and environment commitments by:
·
Supporting the
move to a low carbon economy, with a focus on cost-effective
solutions.
·
Working with
the sector in the promotion of healthier lifestyle to consumers,
but resisting imposing unnecessary, prescriptive regulation on the
sale of food and alcohol.
·
Working with
the sector to support locally sourced Welsh products for the Welsh
market and beyond.
·
Incentivising
retailers to further reduce their energy consumption and support
households to do the same.
·
Encouraging
increased renewable energy generation at domestic and retail
properties and maintain feed-in tariffs at their current
levels.
·
Working with
the sector to help our customers, staff and suppliers to reduce
their environmental impact.
Maintain
employment by:
- Championing the
importance of the Welsh retail sector in creating employment
opportunities at all levels with real career prospects.
- Ensuring the
skills system is fit for purpose to support the excellent training
and skills opportunities already offered by the retail
sector.
Preserve the
essential infrastructure for trading by:
- Supporting
competition and innovation by insisting regulation is
proportionate, evidence-based, and all enforcement is both
consistent and targeted.
- Ensuring
legislation is implemented in business friendly ways, with workable
lead-in times and recognition of complex operations.
Reduce costs
by:
- Ensuring that
Wales remains a competitive place in which to do
business.
- Avoiding
increases in the overall burden of regulation.
- Ensuring
consistency of enforcement activity across Wales’ 22
principal local authority areas.
Reduce retail
crime by:
- Ensuring that
effective partnership practice is promoted and recognises the role
retail plays in regeneration of areas affected by crime and
disorder.
- Encouraging
consistency and effective co-operation between Forces when tackling
serious and organised crime, including e-crime.
- Tackling the
incidence of abuse and violence against retail staff.
Retail –
delivering for Wales
Retail is the
engine that will drive future growth in Wales. We are not a sector
that looks for subsidies; we are naturally entrepreneurial. As we
strive for growth we will play a substantial role in reducing
unemployment and contributing to the future prosperity of the Welsh
economy. Our members are delivering for Wales:
Retail has led
the environmental agenda
Through cutting
emissions, reducing waste and helping change consumer behaviour
retailers are helping to deliver a more sustainable Wales. The
sector has demonstrated a commitment to reduce landfill waste and
in 2010, John Lewis sent just one percent of waste from the
construction of its new Cardiff store to landfill. This is just one
example of the good work being done by the retailers to help Wales
meet its waste reduction goals.
Retail is an
excellent employer
The sector is
committed to developing the skills of its workforce, providing
flexible working opportunities and bringing the long term
unemployed back to work. Over 40% of the adult population has
worked in the retail sector.
Retail
transforms places
Over recent
years retail-led regeneration has helped to transform city centres
and high streets bringing employment opportunities, key services
and long term investment to local people and communities. In
Wrexham, footfall and spend markedly increased a mere six months
after a department store anchored, mixed use development was
constructed. New businesses have also been attracted to the area,
occupying previously vacant premises.
The retail
sector in Wales is responsible and responsive to consumer demands.
Every day consumers vote with their feet in terms of the products
they buy and the stores in which they shop. Retail is delivering
for the economy of Wales; the numbers speak for
themselves:
Contact the
BRC
The BRC works
with its members and stakeholders to maintain the political and
industry profile of the retail sector in Wales through information
sharing, research activity and further developing links with key
sector partners, including the Welsh Assembly Government and the
National Assembly for Wales.
The BRC’s
aim is to ensure that the Assembly and Government create the right
trading environment to allow for continuing investment, job
creation and innovation by retailers in Wales.
The BRC look
forward to discussing the importance of the retail sector and the
issues highlighted in this document. For further information,
please do not hesitate to contact us:
Contact
|
|
Dan
Morgan
Local
Government and Taxation Adviser
0207 854
8957
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John
Munro
Public Affairs
Adviser
0207 854
8934