Having been shopping in Beales over the weekend I called into BHS on Monday morning, in Swan Walk, to wish them well prior to their company’s sad announcement. There are a lot of changes in the High Street and my heart goes out to employees faced with a difficult and uncertain time. There are serious questions to be asked at the company level on BHS and my Select Committee has announced this week an investigation into how the “Pensions Protection Fund” is being used.
There is however an even bigger issue about how our High Streets evolve. Horsham has a great reputation for independent stores. Nationally they give vibrancy to our High Streets and locally they help ensure Horsham has an exciting retail offering. The Government is trying to help the sector by reducing business rates but ultimately the success of the High Streets is in our hands. The internet is having a huge effect on shopping habits. The proportion of shoppers who “browse” in shops but buy on-line grows every year. Similarly number of bank customers who actually visit a branch is decreasing at the same rate – over half of all bank payments are now made outside of “bank opening hours” - a concept undreamt of 20 years ago.