WITH re-emerging covid restrictions and concerns over new variants in recent months, it is understandable that business owners may be worried about the virus' impact as we step into another uncertain new year.
However, speaking to businesses in St Helens town centre, the main issue seems to be the need for more external support rather than coronavirus - which many feel we are learning to live with.
As customers take their own precautions such as getting vaccinated, wearing a mask and socially distancing, the prevailing feeling is that the pandemic is no longer inhibiting sales or stopping people coming out to shop.
However, although some businesses are faring better than others, many owners feel a big part of decreasing footfall is down to poor decisions from external bodies which dissuades people from coming into the town centre.
A recurring theme that came up was the lack of free parking in the town centre, which not only impacts the amount of people wanting to come and shop in the town, but also to shop owners who drive in every day. It's also seen as a drawback for potential businesses who may want to take up empty premises.
While the decline of the high street is an issue facing towns and cities nationwide, there was a desire for the council to address this issue and make decisions to encourage people to come to St Helens to shop.
Speaking to a number of businesses in the town centre over the festive period, this is what they had to say:
How Nice Is That
Andie Mason, manager of the women's boutique store on Church Street, said the community of St Helens has been “really supportive” since opening in November.
While opening a high street store during a pandemic may seem to pose its own difficulties, Andie said that it is a lack of external support, rather than the virus, which has been more of a hindrance for the team.
To address the concerning issue of declining footfall, Andie said that the council need to do more to incentivise people to come to the town centre to shop and encourage business owners to open premises here.
Some ways the council could do this, Andie feels, is by making parking free in the town centre so less people feel the need to travel out of town, and lowering town centre business rents (on the buildings the council owns) to encourage a wider variety of businesses to open.
Expanding on this, Andie said: “For me, the real problem is parking and when I've spoken to customers, it is clear that this impacts them too.
“People want to get out and shop, but they will go out of town if it is cheaper to do so somewhere else, or there are more variety of shops.
“Particularly for me, and other business owners, this is a problem because we are paying every single day just to park up near our shop - and the business rents are ridiculous.”
While Andie accepted that funding to regenerate the town centre will help to rejuvenate the area, she emphasised that there needs to be a focus on stopping declining footfall in the short term as it will take years until the work is complete.
Crystal Dreams
While many independent businesses at St Helens Microshops have closed down since opening up last summer, Becky Miller said that her stall has been doing well.
Growing her client base online is said to be a big factor in this success, as she can sell her products via social media or encourage people from other areas to come to the stall.
Becky, whose husband runs another independent microshop, Retro Games, said: “For me it’s been absolutely fine since opening.
“I’m continuing to grow the business and getting busier while building my customer base online.
“I’ve got regular customers who come back to the stall now, and if things carry on, I’m going to look into opening an actual shop in the town.”
Buzzbee Nails
Debbie Chisnall opened her nails and wax melts stall in St Helens Microshops towards the end of November after teaching herself the trade through online courses.
Only open in the town centre for a matter of weeks, she explained that business had been slower than expected and claimed she had not been given much external support to help advertise or sustain her stall.
Debbie said: “It’s been going well here but I don’t think that many people know that I’m here.
“I’ve been handing leaflets out in the town centre but it feels like there is no support to advertise what businesses are here or to attract customers in.”
St Helens Book Stop
St Helens Book Stop, the town’s first book store since 2019, is one business that has been thriving in the town centre since it opened on Bridge Street in November.
The book shop was opened after the community raised more than £45,000 to back the independent business - and is now owned by more than 350 local shareholders to ensure that it is both ran and owned by the people of St Helens.
Although there have been concerns that the retail industry will once again feel the impact of coronavirus restrictions with the rise of the omicron variant, the team at the Book Stop said that they feel they have opened at a “perfect time”.
Laura Goodchild, manager of St Helens Book Stop, said: “We have had a lot of positive comments saying how ‘we’ve missed having a bookshop’ – a lot more than we thought.
“I think we still have that ‘newness’ factor. [Opening] just before Christmas, I think we opened at a perfect time.”
With a Two Brothers coffee shop at the end of the Bridge Street building, many residents were said to have been frequenting the store and buying presents from their wide collection of fiction and non-fiction.
Two Brothers
Taking over old Globe building on the corner of Barrow Street and Church Street, Two Brothers has gone from strength to strength since opening their doors in the summer.
Despite opening during the pandemic, staff at the coffee shop said that the business has not been hindered by coronavirus and have gradually attracted a regular customer base - with many appreciating their speciality brews and freshly roasted coffees.
Sadie Shingler, barista at Two Brothers, said that the team have seen a real desire from the community of St Helens to come in and support the independent business.
Sadie said: “We were really busy when we first opened in the summer as a lot of people could sit on our outdoor seating.
“Since then, we’ve done well and have quite a few regulars who come in who appreciate our coffee and service.
“We are planning to increase our seating inside and when it does get too busy, we can send people over to the café at the Book Stop on Bridge Street.”
Geek Retreat
The team at Geek Retreat, a café and gaming store on Bridge Street, said that while they have noticed a slight decline in footfall over recent weeks, it has been nothing too drastic.
Chris, a manager at Geek Retreat said that the business have built a “gaming community” throughout their time in St Helens, who can game with one another in store and online.
Always complying with the relevant covid guidelines, Chris explained that the store is a “safe space” where people can relax and game - and when footfall is lower, the team is confident that their online presence is strong enough to keep the business ticking over.
What St Helens Council has to say
In response, Councillor Kate Groucutt, Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Business, said: "Local independent businesses are the heartbeat of any town centre and we recognise the difficulties they have faced during the coronavirus pandemic, which is why we have put a number of initiatives in place to support them during this tough time.
“Since Covid restrictions were relaxed last spring, resulting in non-essential businesses being able to reopen, we have held regular special events which have brought thousands of people into our town centres – most recently, over the festive period, this included the Christmas Lights Switch On and the winter experience at Chalon Way, with more events planned in the New Year."
Adding that car parking is free until the end of January, Cllr Groucutt added: “We know residents and businesses want to see free parking introduced in St Helens town centres but charges – which are among the lowest in the region – are a valuable source to help us achieve a balanced budget and protect essential services.
“In terms of rent costs for businesses premises, the council only has direct influence over a small number of town centre properties that it owns for which we conduct regular reviews and offer incentives for new leases where appropriate to retain and attract new businesses."
She continued to state that over £48m of grant funding has been channelled to local businesses to ensure they survive and thrive throughout the pandemic, and have promotedg national campaigns such as Independents’ Day and Small Business Saturday to help town centre businesses.
In terms of the planned regeneration of our town centres, Cllr Groucutt added: "Only recently we announced our exciting regeneration plans for Earlestown and St Helens town centres which we will continue in the New Year, and we want existing as well as new local independent businesses to be a part of this change so they can thrive in modern, attractive town centres that we can all be proud of."
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