High streets used to be the centre of a town, a sign of its prosperity. However, in the past couple of decades they have been in decline: streets full of boutiques and household names are now boarded up and left empty. So what happened?
This decline can be linked back to one simple reason: the rise of shopping centres. During the 1970s, a rise in private car ownership coincided with the development of out-of-town shopping centres, making car-based trips the convenient and fashionable choice. The convenience of having access to the shops directly from your car and not having to park and walk to where you need to go was, and still is, rather compelling. This switch led to essential stores and big brands leaving the high street in favour of these shopping centres.
In addition, the cost of running a store has progressively increased over time. The steep cost of renting a high street shop is a leading cause of erosion, because these costs are often disproportionate to the earnings of small retailers. In general, small boutiques cannot afford to be on high streets any longer.
This phenomenon was only exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, when most shopping had to be done online. Since then, the convenience of online shopping has become a habit that we still have not shaken.
Today, efforts are being made to revitalise and rejuvenate high streets. In 2025, the Plan for Change and Pride in Place programmes were announced, with the aim of revitalising Britain’s high streets. Through investment, they plan to support over 330 communities to rebuild their high streets and make them a place people want to go again. These schemes recognise high streets as an essential part of a community — a place that should be accessible to all. A prime example of the continuous effort to make high streets even more appealing is the pedestrianisation of Oxford Street, allowing for easier and better shopping. It is estimated that this will bring in an extra £82m a year, in addition to the current £3b it already brings in.
So where do today’s students fit into this? When asked, many students said that they actually prefer shopping in person to online — some even pointed out that they had a tendency to buy more things in person. However, over half of the students who were interviewed said that they tended to make bigger purchases online — often splurging on something they would not necessarily buy in person. They also stated that if they were to impulse buy something online they are much less likely to return it should they actually not want it.
Many students have said that the convenience of purchasing everything you need from the comfort of your home instead of trekking around different shops is the biggest pull; many note that oftentimes items seem to be less expensive online than in person, making the lure all that greater. Despite all of this, many of the students I spoke to said that they are trying to make a conscious choice to go shopping in person; many stated that the experience of shopping in person is just nicer.
So, the future of the high street might be a more prosperous one than previously thought — with efforts being made to revitalise these once flourishing areas. The attitudes of the students I spoke to also suggests that their hankering for more in person shopping might just be the encouragement needed to bring back our high streets not only in big cities but in towns as well — but only time will tell.
Photo by Berk Usar for The Student.
