How community engagement sparks high street revival
What happens when the heart of a town, the high street, falls silent?
Given the increasing number of stores closing and the changing nature of the consumer, the future of the local high street is a challenging and massive topic, especially considering the impact of online shopping and the shift in shoppers’ habits.
Since internet shopping became the norm, everything has changed; once-busty town centres and high streets now feature empty shops, reduced foot traffic, and fewer consumers. High-profile departures, like the recent strategy by WHSmith to dispose of a big chunk of its high street business, merely serve to highlight that things need to be tackled.
Despite these challenges, a new foundation, built on collaboration, creativity, and community inclusion, is emerging, supported by both the private sector and local communities.
Never Miss a Retail Update!This blog explores how community engagement can be used to revitalise high streets, influence footfalls and loyalty, and strengthen the social fabric of towns.
Defining community engagement for the retail sector
When used in relation to retail, community engagement describes how the businesses actively engage with and support their local community. That can mean anything, from holding events and backing local programmes to shaping services to reach different customer types. The goal is to create a mutually beneficial partnership where the companies and the neighbourhood, including the local high street, will both stand to benefit.
Retailers can reap tangible benefits of community engagement, including more foot traffic and sales, a more positive public image, and returning customers.
The role of the community in high street revival
Easy online shopping is contributing to the decline of the UK high street. But there is one thing all the online giants in the world can’t replicate, and that’s the sense of connections, experiences, and places that physical retail, especially community-rooted retail, offers.
Indeed, a 2013 survey by the Association of Convenience Stores highlighted this strong connection, revealing that 80% of convenience store owners across the UK actively engage with their communities. This engagement ranges from collecting for local and national charities, a practice undertaken by 71% of these retailers, to sponsoring local schools and sports teams, which 25% contribute to.
Examples of community initiatives are community hubs such as Haven Community Hub, a one-stop hub for older people and their families in Westcliff-on-Sea, where spaces have been brought back to life for the use of the local community. Amenities in these spaces, such as a cafe, wellness centre, social club, and co-working space, lend a sense of place and utility to the community’s residents.
Reimagining Vacant High Street Properties for Revival
There were over 14% of retail units in the UK high street that were empty in 2022, with some towns reporting over 20% of their retail units empty. Turning these places into community-run facilities and businesses can revitalise failing town centres.
These high street revival efforts lower vacancy rates and support local economies. Businesses like co-ops, hubs, and people-powered shops are leading the way on community engagement, drawing customers, boosting morale, and reinvesting earnings.
One excellent UK example is Sheffield’s “Department“, where an ex-co-op building was turned into a community-owned centre with arts, food, and workspaces.
Beyond retail: repurposing the high street
The future of the high street isn’t only about retail. In our age of convenience and doorstep deliveries, high streets need to adapt to stay relevant.
These are just some of the ways to achieve this:
- Multifunctional Spaces
- Community Events
- Inclusive Design
Multifunctional Spaces
Transforming empty high-street stores into vibrant hubs for community life. For example, Stockton-on-Tees is regenerating former department stores and retail sites by replacing them with new developments that include homes, coworking spaces, leisure amenities, and public services, creating vibrant mixed-use spaces in the town centre.
Community Events
The Thistles Shopping Centre in Stirling has highlighted how targeted community engagement campaigns, including artisan markets, local school performances and themed holiday programming, can be used to boost footfall and help local shops and businesses. They are also fun-filled occasions with tangible economic value for shops and hospitality around the host street.
Inclusive Design
Every city needs public spaces that are welcoming and attractive. Broader sidewalks, enhanced lighting, seating, and green spaces can help the local centres of town feel more welcoming for all residents, including families, seniors, and people with disabilities.
By recasting the high street as a destination that can serve many purposes, towns can move from transactional to experiential, and, in doing so, improve both social and economic conditions. This approach is central to any sustainable high street revival.
What do people want from the high street?
People want more from their local high streets than just shops, according to the Public First survey in 2020. The top priority is now being given to green areas, cafes, clinics, and cultural centres. That suggests a broader move toward the experience economy, one where people will be attracted to local high street centres and retail spaces that offer connection, well-being, and variety, not just transactions.
The retail industry, particularly brick-and-mortar retailers, should take note of the shift in consumer attitude. The old models that simply pump products out are insufficient. Retailers simply must know about these changing customer wishes and adjust to them.
That might involve adding cafes or community seating to stores, hosting local events, or teaming up with local businesses, artists, charities, or wellness providers. This approach exemplifies the ideal blend of commerce and culture, balancing social engagement with practical utility on the high street.
Support for community-led regeneration
The UK government, acknowledging the power and insights of communities on the ground, has launched a number of programmes to try and enable a high street resurgence.
Levelling Up & Regeneration Act
Key among them is the Levelling Up & Regeneration Act (LURA), which gives local councils the power to act on properties that have been empty for a long time.
Under this law, councillors can now auction long-empty retail units, those left empty for more than a year, for community or business use in a bid to breathe life back into high streets and prevent decay.
It’s especially important given that 9% of all UK high street units have been vacant for over a year, helping to create run-down urban areas and economic death. Now armed with these new powers, our local authorities can help breathe new life into underutilised spaces, transforming them into lively centres that meet the needs and desires of local communities.
Crime and Policing Bill
In parallel to these regeneration efforts, the government has also unveiled a significant Crime and Policing Bill aimed at tackling the escalating issue of retail crime, which the British Retail Consortium recently described as “spiralling out of control.”
This new legislation includes measures such as:
- granting police the power to conduct warrantless searches when tracking stolen electronic items for quicker recovery
- eliminating the previous distinction that treated shoplifting under £200 as a minor offense, mandating that all incidents are now taken seriously
Empowering Local Voices in Regeneration Initiatives
The London Assembly Economy, Culture and Skills Committee has also been a long-time champion of putting the voices of local people at the heart of regeneration in shopping centres and other public spaces. It is increasingly acknowledged that ordinary people are best placed to determine the future of their area.
At the same time, funding streams are opening up, allowing grassroots groups and resident-led efforts to build projects that are both economically and culturally efficient, not just symbolic or tailored to broader priorities.
How retailers can engage with communities
Retailers will determine the future of our high street. The issue is not just economic, but also cultural and societal. There is no need for large sums of money to carry out substantial community engagement. What it does require is originality, persistence, and a genuine desire to help others, particularly in the private sector for longer-term success.
Retailers can start by following the 5 principles of community engagement in retail:
- Listen to the needs in your local community: Use feedback, focus groups, and conversations to understand what matters most.
- Empower employees to engage: empower, trust, and support your staff to advocate in the “real” community for your business and involve them in your initiatives. This is about giving staff such an inherent understanding of the company that they can make decisions on your behalf, represent your values and engage with people in a way that benefits your brand.
- Engage local organisations: work with schools, charities and community groups.
- Match values with action: put your principles into practice rather than just saying them. Everything could fall under this category, from your marketing strategies to your interactions with locals to the way you handle staff and consumers. For example, it’s important to base your operations (sourcing, packaging, energy use, etc.) on your brand’s commitment to environmental stewardship.
- Measure and claim impact: by sharing a transparent story of your measured impact, you help to establish trust with your audience, customers or community. Such openness shows that your company is actually accomplishing something and that you are credible and genuine.
There are endless ways retailers can creatively apply these principles. For example, Wickes and Norfolk Leisure brought holiday spirit into communities by creating buzz with holiday events and creating immersive community spaces.
Even the big brands can innovate by working to redefine the whole notion of what their presence should be. An example of such an initiative is the ground-floor café on Queen Road at the IKEA store. It is a standalone restaurant, separate from the rest of the shop, and serves as a meeting place for retail and hospitality in a more locally tailored, artificially created environment. Its goal is to deliver both brand value and local relevance.
Small retailers are equally powerful here. An example is Chapter One, a bookshop in Manchester that is also a cafe and community centre. It has now become a beloved central neighbourhood meeting spot, where people go for poetry nights, writing workshops, and author readings; it is a testament that small retailers can have a large impact.
Other beneficial tactics include tailoring store formats and products to local preferences, supporting local community projects and offering welcoming and friendly in-store customer experiences. These are the things that build a bridge from transaction to community, and they transform stores into public places where both commerce and community thrive.
Final thoughts
The revival of the British high street won’t come from retail alone: it will come from partnerships, creativity, and authentic engagement. Community involvement is a sustainable strategy that aligns business success with local well-being. High street revival depends on these community-driven approaches.
As more retailers adopt community-driven models, the high street can evolve into a hub of culture, connection, and commerce.
The future of our high streets hinges on innovative strategies and collaborative efforts. Join us at the Future of the High Street event and connect with leading retail minds, industry experts, and community champions who are pioneering the high street revival. Register today.
