23 october 2012, the next small thing

Once upon a time, every high street had a travel agent; no longer. Tobacconists are similar memories. The last recession was particularly hard on estate agents, and the next is likely to do the same for banks. Even much-loved post offices will dwindle, and as newspapers disappear, so will newsagents, or at least they'll stop devoting ever less space to the times and more to the tins. There is a mountain of evidence showing how non-food retail will continue to need ever less floor space, and even food is ever more in massive out of town boxes people drive to, usually accompanied by more of that dwindling stock of non-food stuff. Town centres up and down the country are in a long-term pickle (see from bricks to clicks). My local, heald green, is on the cusp between down-at-heel and well-to-do areas (see 18 december 2011) and seems to be holding its own. The forces of modernity are ranged against high streets though and it is hard to see sustainable futures for most of them unless they go in for serious downsizing and consolidation and rapidly build up a "footfall client base" that needs to be based on something that is very distinctive and draws people in from a very wide area.