Over the last few weeks the news has been occupied with the downturn in sales for high street stores. The Arcadia Group, which runs many of the well known high street chains such as Topshop, Wallis, BhS, Burtons, Evans and Dorothy Perkins, has announced that it will close 250 to 260 stores over the next few years when their leases expire, mostly on the UK’s high streets.

Retailers are suffering several fronts, with increased operation costs, VAT rises and fuel and energy costs restricting household budgets. 

Arcadia owner Philip Green said in a recent interview: “We’ve got 450 or 460 stores where leases expire in the next three years and … we will close more than half of those on lease expiry” He added that most closures would be on the UK’s high streets while it protects its presence on retail parks and shopping centres.

This is not a new concept. The high street was the hub of consumer shopping just like newspapers used to be the place the nation got their news. Shoppers are moving to more convenient locations (often with free parking) just like they are getting their news online or digitally rather than from the printed page. Retailers must follow the crowed to where they are, and a growth sector is online through eCommerce. 

Green’s prediction come after Arcadia reported a loss for the year, and like many retailers, said like-for-like sales for the same period last year are down 4.4%, although online sales are up 21%. Online sales are soaring while high street follows printed publishing and suffers constant declines.

If you are thinking of selling your products online, there has never been a better time. AsOne can get you up and running in weeks and you too can begin to see sale increase rather than continue to decline on the high street.

Contact AsOne today on 0161 368 9100 or email here@asone.co.uk.

(Source: Flickr / magnus_d)