What this town centre has achieved following the very first pop up shop, Bedpop resonates with projects I delivered. With storytelling being an integral part of a town or brand's strategy - Bedford does this incredibly well with the support of the local businesses, stakeholders including the local authority and the quality publications including The Bedford Clanger, Bedford Independent.
As major stakeholders in their towns Local Authorities have come under increasing pressure to support their high streets and invest in property to halt the decline of our town centres. Who better to revitalise and inject a sense of community spirit and take the steps needed to reinvigorate failing high streets?
High streets are under going dramatic changes and will continue to evolve in the next decade. Shopping as we know it is changing too and becoming 'experience' driven. We have witnessed this in the last decade with the rise of pop up shops, and more places where you visit to try out new activities that are not always purchase driven - building brand loyalty.
We're often being asked how do you identify the types of projects to deliver in a town centre? The answer always comes back to the…
News that high streets are dying with shops lying empty and imminent collapse of major retailers would suggest that local authorities are unaware of what is happening in their towns. The reality is that many councils up and down country are already creatively leading on the revitalisation of their town centres, working closely with stakeholders.
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