Battling the big brands on the high streets

Look at Shrewsbury. The town has a fine reputation for the calibre of its independent retailers, yet a trip up and down Pride Hill takes you past any number of blue chip brands.

Boots is the UK's biggest privately owned business, with its parent company Alliance Boots boasting sales of more than £23 billion.

It makes you wonder how any health and beauty retailer could even hope to compete.

But the chain also employs more than 75,000 people in the UK, not all of whom have the desire to commit the long hours and financial risk it would take to launch their own independent store should the pharmacy giant be written out of history.

Then there's Next. The thriving high street clothing chain achieved sales of £3.7 billion last year, thanks to seven million square feet of floorspace dotted around the country. Come Christmas, there will be Boxing Day crowds winding their way from Next stores across the county as our love affair with the chain continues.

There's plainly an appetite for big name clothing outlets, and – placing the murky question of the validity of zero-hour contracts to one side momentarily – they unquestionably provide employment in Britain's town.

That's going to come into focus even more over the next few months, as retailers begin to draft in additional staff in the run-up to Christmas, and as many as half of those brought in temporarily over the festive period will be rewarded for their hard work with permanent employment in the new year.

Yet there remains dissent whenever a big name retailer chooses to move into one of Shropshire or Mid Wales's market towns.

We have seen this week the furore that greeted the appearance of national chains William Hill and Card Factory in Newtown.

But John Munro, from the British Retail Consortium, said it was up to shops to prove they can thrive not just in spite of, but because of the arrival of big-name chains.

"There's no prescription for success on the high street," he said. "What works in one town won't work in others as high streets serve local communities and the needs of one differ from the needs of another.

"That said, those that work best offer a mix of things for people to come and see and do, and the retail mix is important. People know and like large multiple retailers and know what to expect and what price points to expect, and they are major drivers of footfall.

"We find that in some cases where large retailers have moved in, smaller independents have remained open because there has been extra numbers of shoppers driven to a certain location. People are more likely to stay and look at what is on offer."

Mr Munro added: "Stores that haven't got a unique offer are going to find it tough, but that also applies to large multiples, and Woolworths was a prime example of that.

"If you haven't got an offer that's unique and that people want, big or small you're not going to survive.

"It's really as simple as quality and service."

Being a hot spot for tourists, Shrewsbury's visitor economy is thriving which should spell lively trading for independent businesses.

But Peter Nutting, the owner of Sports and Games on St John's Hill says there are many problems which face the independent retailer today.

He said: "The biggest frustration I have is generally red tape. The Government insists on us doing everything online now and that can be quite tiring and time consuming."

Mr Nutting, a member of Shropshire Council and Shrewsbury Town Council said he has some tricks up his sleeve to compete with major chain stores.

"I try to specialise.," he said. "I do a lot of racket restringing which the big shops don't offer.

"I can put new handles on cricket bats and I tend to stock things the big shops don't stock so I tend to be in a different market."

He said there was a danger of town centres becoming identical as branded stores take over.

"I think actually the danger in Shrewsbury is we're almost trying to copy other towns when there seems to be a fashion to go into pedestrianisation and because it works in some places we seem to think that's got to be the answer in Shrewsbury and I don't believe it is," he added.

"We've got to stop following the trend, do what's right for the town and basically, as a shop keeper, I'd like the council to leave the town alone."

Ludlow also has a reputation for independent food shops and boutiques, and traders have collaborated to advertise the fact, using the internet to get the word out and fight off competition from big chains.

The "Only in Ludlow" scheme was started by the Chamber of Trade to advertise shops exclusive to the town - and the scheme has it's own blog, run by shopkeeper Adam Withington, of Black Bough on Market Street, which sells homeware, vintage watches and gifts.

"You have to be on top of your game," he said, "So you have a personal element or selection of stock, which gives your shop personality – there's a kind of character tot that.

"We also rely on being in touch with our customers. We send out newsletters every two weeks to our existing customer base, with updates on new stuff coming into the shop.

"It's having that connection with your customers outside the shop, whether its responding to customers on Twitter late at night or whatever.

"It's showing you have experience and knowledge and relaying that across different platforms, it all helps people's relationship with the shop."

One of those on the blog is The Silver Pear on Broad Street, which also sells bathroom and kitchen ware, as well as toys, handbags and other gifts.

Director Christopher Tuffley said success depended on co-operation between the tourist industry, and traders.

"If there is overlap, we try not to use the same suppliers. It's very easy to turn into a clone-town, with all the shops with the same things in the window, and we're trying very hard for that not to be the case," he said.

"But we're very lucky, we still have three butchers, three bakers with even Tesco and Co-Op, and we're very proud of the fact that we've only got one shop and we are surviving."

An independent butchers in Market Drayton says it is currently doing well but has concerns about how national chains and supermarkets are stifling the market.

Richard Insley, manager at Shepley's butchers said, despite competition from local supermarkets, the shop on Shropshire Street has been doing well over the last year.

Mr Insley said: "We are finding trade very busy at the moment.

"We have a shop outlet and a market outlet in Market Drayton and since the horse meat scandal we have seen our trade rise by at least 30 to 40 per cent.

"One of the main reasons for this is simply we can offer something the national chains and supermarkets can't – traceability.

"We can tell a customer exactly what breed a meat is and what farm it came from. That encourages confidence, and supermarkets are struggling with that.

"The support we get from our local customers is huge, simply if it wasn't for them they we wouldn't be here, as we have been for over 25 years.

"But we need to keep providing them with a superior product.

"About 90 per cent of our product is sourced from Shropshire and I think people like that, and again this is something I don't think supermarkets can offer."

Mr Insley said despite the butcher's doing well, he was still concerned about the effect supermarkets have on independent traders as a whole.

He said: "These big stores can just pop up and they are trying to stifle the whole market.

"Not just food - but you can go to the supermarket and buy clothes, or electrical items.

"But independent traders need to stay strong, because I think we offer a much better customer service which people like.

"I think eventually people will start coming back to the independents and realise they are getting better produce and a better service."

Urban Angel has enjoyed a bumper summer this year with the good weather playing into the hands of the independent trader.

The shoe and accessory specialists have been based in Bridgnorth High Street for eight years.

Proprietor Cara Hickman said: "As long as the weather stays good we do enjoy a cracking trade. From May to September we tend to be really busy.

"But business rates have doubled in the last eight years. We have also been told by the council we could do done for fly-tipping after someone reported rubbish from our shop in the High Street.

"Parking is also a major issue but there is hardly any space. We get told we cannot park outside the shop but there's no where else to go.

"There have been many occasions when someone has run out of the shop through of getting a ticket because, again, there is no leniency."

"You have to have the big stores because they bring more people in the town," she added.

"But it's the independent shops that interest shoppers. I think the High Streets can still do well so long as they have the right balance."