In 2012, twelve English high streets shared £1.2m to rejuvenate shopping areas. Locations - including Bedminster in Bristol - tried out ideas suggested by Mary Portas in her high street review to boost revenue. Minister of State for Communities and Local Government Grant Shapps said that the High Street must work hard to compete with out-of-town shopping centres and the internet, and would need to have something that the internet doesn't provide.
However, one year on, ten of the twelve high streets had seen a fall in the number of occupied rental units. Overall, results were mixed, with shop vacancies down in seven of the high streets, but more shops have closed than opened. 95 units closed in total. Only Bedminster and Margate had shown success with units opening. Units include cafes, banks, pubs, and shops.
The overall concensus from Mary Portas was "There is no simple solution to the crisis on our High Streets. There are no quick fixes but 400 towns up and down the country are working on different plans to try and reinvigorate their High Street. Let's celebrate their achievements so far and learn and share ideas. Real change will take time."
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