Derbyshire Business Round Table - Changing Face of the High Street

There is no doubt that high streets across the UK are facing a challenging climate. Rising costs for businesses, combined with an increase in people shopping online have forced many retailers to adapt their model for an ever-changing world.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics found that since 2000, e-commerce has grown from 0.2% of retail sales to 25% in February 2023. In the face of these challenges, Chesterfield is seizing the opportunity to create a high-street fit for the future, whilst retaining its strong heritage as a market town.

The £20m Revitalising the Heart of Chesterfield project, and the £5m Staveley 21 scheme are just two of the ambitious projects taking place to breathe new life into our local town centres.

Furthermore, Chesterfield Borough Council’s growth strategy includes measures to support the further development of an experiential and leisure-based offer, to improve the town’s credentials as a desirable place for people to visit and stay.

With those challenges and opportunities in mind, Destination Chesterfield recently hosted its latest Round Table discussion, in association with the Derbyshire Times - focusing on the changing face of the high street.

The session allowed business owners and local leaders to discuss the current trading climate locally, whilst giving their views on how the town can capitalise on the upcoming investment.

• DS – Dom Stevens – Manager, Destination Chesterfield (Chair)
• KS – Cllr Kate Sarvent – Cabinet Member for Town Centres and Visitor Economy, Chesterfield Borough Council
• SP – Steve Phillips – Digital High Street Advisor, East Midlands Chamber
• LJO – Laura Jo Owen – Owner, Adorn Jewellers of Chesterfield
• JP – James Pogson – Director, Northern Tea Merchants

• AN – Alberto Naso – Owner, Geeks Headquarters

High streets across the UK are currently facing a number of challenges with increasing costs and the rise in online shopping. How can Chesterfield adapt to this ever-changing picture?

LJO - I think that we have already got a nice mix in Chesterfield. We've got the independents, the market, and the multiple retailers. For now, I believe it is all about retaining what we've got and then looking to the future to attract more business.

KS – I’m really pleased that we've got this nice group of independents in Chesterfield because nobody wants to go and shop in a town that's a carbon copy of their own. You've got to offer something that's a bit different.

SP - If you go into a shop, you definitely get an improved service, which you cannot get online. That one-to-one personal service is something you can’t replicate.

JP – I do feel like something needs to be done around safety and anti-social behaviour in the town centre. Is there more that the council can do alongside the police to intervene?

KS - We are in regular dialogue with the police, and there are measures in place to manage individuals that are well-known for causing problems. It is really important that people report any anti-social behaviour in our town centre to the police at the earliest opportunity.

AN - I can speak for a category of shop that is probably not mainstream. We don't offer a primary service, such as food. we offer entertainment and the sense of being part of a community. For one of our major tournaments, people came from Denmark and Sweden! We need to create a unique offer to fight against online retail because the facts are that most products are cheaper online.

Chesterfield town centre is set to undergo a £20 million transformation over the next few years. How can the town capitalise on these developments to improve its credentials as a desirable visitor destination?

KS - The ‘Revitalising the Heart of Chesterfield’ project continues to move forward. It will be great for the town once completed. To link one end of the town from the other, and making the centre more accessible from the railway station will be a huge boost.

DS- There's a digital element of that project as well, which will provide more data monitoring. We will be able to understand customer flows and activity better in the town centre.

AN - To me, the development all sounds perfect, but I also feel we need to take a look at what we offer in Chesterfield. Of course, we have the Crooked Spire and the theatres, but I feel we need more points of interest to provide that pull.

JP – We could really play on the community spirit here in Chesterfield to make improvements. There are lots of people and volunteers who are willing to come in and give an hour a week to make sure something is right. In terms of the development planned, I certainly feel it’s a really good start.

AN - I'm just thinking that people are sometimes trying to open businesses without any sense of competition or market research. Competition is great, but too much competition means that you have zero chances of success. I agree that we need more unique shops.

LJO - I always ask my customers where they are off to next, and most of them at the moment are either having their car serviced, have brought their phone in for a repair, or they're having their hair or their nails done. Those are all physical things that you can't get online.

SP – There are a number of businesspeople who may have started online, and are now looking into moving into a physical shop. It would be great to see some of the vacant spaces as small pop-up shops for a month or a week, creating more flexibility for businesses.

KS - We've looked at our tourism strategy, and have had many discussions around the best way to improve footfall. I think that we need to showcase our medieval roots. The beautiful shambles, crooked Spire, and fantastic marketplace as one packaged offer.

SP – Some towns have created attractions like ghost walks, so you’ve always got living history, so to speak, as you walk around the town. This would encourage people to stay a bit after and they start shopping, that sort of thing.

This Summer, we are seeing an increase in the number of large events coming to the town. How much of an impact will these events have in terms of attracting footfall?

DS - As a town, we want events to happen, but the local authority simply cannot deliver every event we want to see. So, if there are ideas and collaborations that can make them happen, there are certainly people that can support that process.

LJO - I think once someone has visited Chesterfield once, for example for an event, then they'll come back because they see what we've got. So, it's getting them in there in the 1st place and I think the events are a really good way to do that.

AN - The presence of events like comic cons, movie cons, and gaming conscan literally involve the entirety of the town, with several locations involved. They canhelp in revitalising the Town Centre and make Chesterfield a point of attraction even more.

KS – In these financially challenging times, collaboration is the only way we're going to do it. If we can facilitate something that gives maximum benefit to the town, then we'll look at it. Any ideas are always welcome.

How can Chesterfield maximise it’s connectivity and proximity to the Peak District National Park in attracting more visitors to the area, in order improve footfall across our local high streets?

KS – One of the good things about Chesterfield is its position in the middle of the country. But from a tourism strategy point of view, that can be seen as quite a bad thing, because it means people can come and go in one day. When you go into Devon or Cornwall, you don't drive there for one day and come home. We want Chesterfield to be like a hub where people stay, because if you look at the cost of the accommodation out in the Peak District, it can be quite expensive. Whereas Chesterfield is much more moderately priced.

DS- There is scope for more hotel space as part of the town’s future regeneration. There is a hotel being planned at Chesterfield Waterside and we have Peak Resort in the works, which will have over 1000 bed spaces once completed. Lots of work will be taking place in the coming years around the visitor economy, particularly looking at encouraging visitors to stay overnight in Chesterfield.

SP - Wecould also partner with outdoor activity providers, bringing an outdoor festival feel to Chesterfield, with things like mini climbing walls, or little cycle trails in the Town Centre, so people can get a taste of it before heading out into the countryside. The town could almost act as a base camp for the Peak District!

LJO - My mum would never forgive me if I was on a forum about the town centre and didn't mention her ‘Land Train’ idea! She really wants to come down to Northern Tea for a cuppa, and then come up to see me in town on a land train. It works well in coastal towns, why not try it here?

Destination Chesterfield is part funded by contributions from local businesses, Chesterfield Borough Council and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

The project is helping to improve the economic prosperity of the town through a campaign to promote Chesterfield.

The local business community plays a central role in its success by both leading an independent board of Directors for Destination Chesterfield, as well as businesses pledging their support to become Chesterfield Champions.

The Destination Chesterfield Partnership has received £180,000 from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. It follows a successful funding bid by Chesterfield Borough Council, to secure £2.69 million worth of funding for local projects.

For more information about becoming a Chesterfield Champion, visit: http://www.chesterfield.co.uk/destination-chesterfield/champions/sign-up/