Wolverhampton among worst in country for filling empty shops

According to new research from the Local Data Company, Wolverhampton is still one of 20 worst-performing towns and cities nationwide when it comes to void shops.

Five years on from the last report by the statistics company, it has fallen behind other locations. More than half of the 40 worst performing from five years ago have managed to fill more shops but Wolverhampton - along with the likes of Stockport, Morecambe, Dewsbury and Stockton on Tees - continues to flounder.

Empty stores in the city centre include the old upholstery and furniture specialist, E Marsh, which had been part of the landscape since 1913. Co-owner Keith Marsh said the long-running roadworks outside his Princess Street store had damaged trade 'past breaking point' and forced the company to move. Others empty sites include the former Bank clothing shop in Queen Street, Burton menswear in Dudley Street and Burgins Bistro, Our Price and a Greggs in the Mander Centre, which has at least half a dozen void units in total.

Wolverhampton has also stalled compared to neighbouring Dudley, where the number of empty units has fallen from one in three to one in five.

Councillor Kurshid Ahmed, cabinet member for regeneration at Dudley Council, said "It is fantastic news and I am really glad that the improvement has been recognised.

"Getting more shop units in use helps the town in so many ways. It makes it more vibrant for shoppers, increases confidence for businesses and helps the council build trust with both.

"We have put a lot of money and a lot of time into improving our town centre and ensuring that people and businesses still see it as a thriving place and I am glad to see that is paying off.

"The difference is noticeable, I see it myself every time I go out into town.

"Dudley is open for business and as a council, we will continue to work with businesses and the public to ensure that continues."

Earlier this year a £6.7million revamp of Dudley Market was completed and plans for a £50m regeneration within Dudley town centre were revealed after 18 months of talks.

The Porters Field project will see restaurants, shops and houses built alongside a supermarket and bring 500 jobs to the town.

It is the latest regeneration scheme aimed to breath new life into the town centre.

A £650,000 project to open up King Street to all traffic for the first time in 12 years was completed in December. Previously only buses and taxis had been able to use the route.

The news of the empty shops comes as Wolverhampton City Council is spending millions to make the centre more attractive to shoppers by changing the road layout, pedestrianising certain areas and bringing in a £20,000 bench outside the bookies in Princess Street. There is also the introduction of a Business Improvement District, where money is pooled together by businesses to help fund schemes designed to bring the public back into the main shopping areas.

Ninder Johal, president of the Black Country Chamber of Commerce, said the public's shopping habits have changed and claimed businesses need to move with the times to see an improvement.

He said: "Despite the upturn in the UK economy, the high street is struggling to improve.

"Consumer behaviour has changed drastically over the years, even the big supermarkets are starting to feel the negative side of that.

"However, business people are starting to see that they can still offer something different to online shopping sites and they need to really run with that.

"I think if we can start to see the public and private sector working together on issues such as rates, rent prices and parking fees, that is when we will really start to see an upturn in the popularity of high streets, which will in turn lead to more empty shop units being filled."

Councillor John Reynolds, cabinet member for city economy, added: "The council is making extensive investment in the city centre through its regeneration plans to help combat the challenging times the retail sector faces.

"In the 12 months to May, £96.4 million was invested, including a new Sainsbury's superstore, and in the following 12 months, £174.4m of investment is planned, including the £35m redevelopment of the Mander Centre.

"Superdrug is close to signing up as the next tenant in the new i10 office and retail development, with the council in advanced negotiations with other businesses interested in moving into i10.

"The Public Realm works will improve pedestrian access between the city centre and the Interchange area and also reduce the number of vehicles in our main shopping areas.

"We are also working closely with Wolverhampton Business Improvement District (BID), which has recently secured support from the Healthy High Street programme, to re-energise the city centre to create new opportunities for local people and businesses."

On a national scale, the latest improvements made by towns and cities across the country has prompted calls for 'cautious optimism' from bosses at the Local Data Company, but in Wolverhampton, where it was revealed earlier this year that 17 per cent of shops are empty, there has been no significant improvement.

There have been few notable shop openings in Wolverhampton city centre recently, including The Little Dessert Shop in Queen Street which has seen people queue down the street for its food, with up to 300 customers a day visiting.

Earlier this year, a 'vertical drinking culture geared towards students' was blamed for the downfall of the city centre by consultation company Bruton Knowles and Holliss Vincent, which carried out research as part of the council's long-term plan to boost the centre by attracting new businesses, shops, and creating more jobs.