Even before the Covid-19 pandemic, we had become accustomed to images of shuttered local shops and reports of yet another well-known chain going into receivership, along with declarations of “the death of the high street” in the face of convenient online retail.
It may seem that the pandemic was to be the final nail in the coffin, yet some surprising new patterns have emerged that point to a possible local renaissance. While central areas, especially in large cities, suffered a collapse of visitors due to travel bans and a lack of office workers and tourists, many local communities have seen their shops become more valued by home-working residents, with significant numbers unlikely to be returning to a five-day week in the office.