What Should We Value about Retailing and Towns and What Should We Do About Them?

Abstract

First paragraph: “If they look beyond heroic individualism and accept that individuals exist in a network of social bonds and obligations, we might just see a real realignment” (James Kirkup, Why did Boris Johnson survive? Unherd, 15th April 2020) Ok, the quote above is taken from a very different context and meant in a different political way, but it sums up some of my views about what we are seeing in retailing and the evidence over the recent weeks that place has become more important to more people than ever before. Can we really be satisfied with the retailing system and the towns (high streets, town centres) we have, once the dust sort of settles from the pandemic? I hope not.