British market towns embrace foodie wave to revive ailing centres
UK welcomes the era of the ‘experiential consumer’, as officials attempt to reboot and liven up the hearts of local communities, and help them rediscover their sense of identity
Can craft beer and sourdough pizza heal Britain’s ailing market town centres after a pummelling from the internet and retail parks?
Macclesfield is joining a growing band of small towns about to find out.
The Cheshire town is trying to harness the national foodie obsession to claw back the social purpose of its heart. The council is poised to approve plans for a communal food hall in a redundant cinema in an effort to turn the heart of the former weaving town into a place where people congregate again.
It follows a successful trial of the concept in nearby Altrincham, in which a food hall has been combined with a gastro-regeneration project, helping slash vacancy rates in half. Leaders in about 30 other struggling town centres across the UK have expressed an interest in the model too.
Visits to UK town centres are down 17 per cent over the past decade as online purchases rise 10 per cent a year.
On average, more than one in 10 shops have stood empty for at least 12 months, partly the legacy of 50 million square feet of out-of-town retail space being built from 2000 to 2009. Town centres’ function as a social adhesive has been eroded, sociologists warn.