Star comment: BHS fall is a chance for small firms
Another oak has been felled from the forest that was once the British High Street. The decline of BHS means it can add to an ever-lengthening list of stores that have gone bump.
Blockbuster, Woolworths, Comet, Land of Leather, Borders, JJB Sports and Zavvi have all fallen in recent times. MFI, Julian Graves, Focus, Threshers and Past Times are other names that once populated our high streets but don't anymore.
And then there are the ones who have hung on by the skin of their teeth. Peacocks, Clinton Cards, Dreams, Habitat, Jessops and HMV have all faced a torrid time in recent years.
The fall of BHS, however, is redolent of the demise of that other failed High Street giant, Woolworths. It is a moment few would ever have imagined. BHS had a long and proud history, after forming in 1928 and selling goods that cost less than a shilling.
The firm employed 12,000 workers as recently as 1970 but a succession of takeovers and restructures during the 2000s failed to improve its flagging fortunes. The retail billionaire Sir Philip Green wrote off £200 million after buying the chain in 2000 for that price and selling it last year for £1.
The threat of closure is part of a wider malaise. Digitisation has had a profoundly negative effect on many industries. We are now more likely to buy consumer goods from a warehouse in central England, off a busy motorway, via online retailers, than we are to peruse the High Street.
Where there are failures there are also opportunities. And now is the time for our councils and planners to continue efforts at reviving Shropshire's high streets. We are fortunate to live in a county that has a disproportionately high number of small and medium-sized businesses, and independent retailers continue to thrive.
Much of that is down to the fact that they provide exceptional customer service. People know, for instance, that if they pop into a local bookshop, the proprietor will help them to find a hard-to-locate volume – something that online retailers never do.
Though large chains continue to fold, Shropshire's high streets buzz with diversity and innovation. Small companies pick up the slack and fill the gaps that online retailers leave. They make the most of the misfortunes faced by larger retailers.
