Saving the High Street – Is Mary Portas missing the point?

I must admit, as a consultant, I do love watching Mary Portas do her makeovers on the high street.  I find her smart, witty, insightful and passionate and usually right.  So I am delighted she has been given the job of saving our high streets by Mr Cameron.

However, having just read her article in the Telegraph I am a little worried that the very thing that has made her successful may make it difficult for her to find the right solutions.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/8526356/My-job-is-to-save-our-high-streets.html

In her article Mary already seems to be indicating that the solution to having a thriving high street is to generate a cadre of strong, talented, independent retailers freed from red tape, parking restrictions and planning legislation.  Now whilst I think that this would be an excellent idea and will work well in middle England, it seems to me to ignore the fact, that in our digital age, most people are not “going to the shops” anymore - they are buying online.  In a bargain centric, time poor, tech savvy world it’s just easier (and often cheaper) to buy online and no matter how attractive we make the high streets the working masses are unlikely to return as “shoppers” in the numbers required across the country to make the local retailers viable.  So in my view the solution to saving the high street is not to view the high street solely as a market place but to totally rethink it and repurpose it.   We do need the masses to return but it is unlikely to be shopping that draws them back.

My suspicion is that we need to repurpose the high street to specialise in offering service rather than sales.  We need banks that aren’t selling financial products but that are money advice centres.  We need business centres where independent businesses can find cheap office space and shared office infrastructures offering community and mutual support, we need community centres that are hosting meaningful activities for young people, we need entertainment complexes that engage and involve the local community and yes we do need a small number of those strong, competent independent retailers and coffee shops but they will not be enough on their own.

So best of luck Mary – we really need you to succeed – but can we think a bit more broadly than just retail.