BBC NEWS | UK | 'Modern trends' put towns at risk (2024)

A Newcastle University study said businesses should not take the loyalty of local customers for granted.

It found more people were prepared to use out-of-town shops or the internet, leaving local traders out of pocket.

The research concluded that small towns needed to focus on providing good food to ensure their survival.

The research focused on the small Northumberland town of Alnwick, which was named Britain's best place to live in 2002.

Country Life magazine said it had some of the country's best house prices and local amenities, as well as a low crime rate.

Trade slows

But the university study found that modern trends were leaving Alnwick and similar towns facing a major threat to their economic future.

Business is down as rural people turn increasingly to online shopping or out-of-town centres.

And the study found that was compounded by a growing commuter workforce who were more prepared to leave the area for shopping and entertainment.

The researchers said market towns had to "get back to basics" to fight the shift in lifestyles.

If there were good food shops available, more people would come into the towns and other businesses would benefit, they suggested.

Having a cinema or theatre in the town was also important, they said.

Your comments

My local town is lovely (and I certainly don't intend to move) but despite being in the centre of a farming area - and having plenty of fruit growers nearby (especially apples and pears) it's difficult to buy locally grown fruit - except for one farm shop (nice, but expensive). Our local council saw fit to take the licence of the greengrocer's stall in the town several years ago, and it's had a bad effect on the market, which is held several times a week. There is a stallholder trying to get a proper pitch for his greengrocery stall - but that's on a Tuesday - I work full time, and commute. I would prefer to buy from the market - less expensive, less likely to be coated in chemicals, and less likely to have driven further than a premier league footballer; but because of the council's actions, it's almost impossible.
Kate, Faversham, UK

The supermarket culture in Britain is killing off local traders and shops David, Macduff, Banffshire, Scotland

A few years ago Maidenhead and High Wycombe moved in opposite directions despite being a few miles apart geographically. Maidenhead created lots of free short term on street parking and made life for local shopkeepers and those shopping vastly better. High Wycombe installed costly metre bays at every available opportunity. I doubt the money these machines take gets anywhere near the cost of emptying them. This has turned shoppers away whilst increasing the rates bills for local businesses.
Jonathan, Slough UK

I used to shop in my town centre (Warrington) quite regularly. However I seldom go there now as the parking is so dreadful and developments in the last 20 years have modernized the town centre at the expense of any character it once had. You used to be able to park off road but now there are double yellow lines and one way streets and cul-de-sacs everywhere and I refuse to pay to park my car when I am also charged an extortionate level of council tax. On the few occasions that I do go it's only for the 30 minutes to an hour that I can park for free. There are plenty of out of town supermarkets which sell excellent and invariably better and cheaper produce than the smelly and downmarket market and local shops despite what the food police say. If we didn't have the supermarkets then I would use the Internet instead.
John Cooper, Warrington

I live in the town that has one of the largest and oldest recorded markets in existence, and even today it still heaves with custom during the weekend and even during the week! I would even say that I see more people in the Market Place then in the 3 adjoining shopping centres on a busy day, so the market is definitely not in danger.
Daniel Eastham, Romford, Essex, UK

Our cinema has been closed for years and the council has just withdrawn the funding for the theatre that all of the community benefits from so that has just closed. We have lots of charity shops, banks & building societies but no real shops to spend our money, the only ones to benefit are the shopping and leisure areas of Basingstoke, Southampton & Salisbury. The town was better and had more going on 40 years ago when it was half the size!
Philip Keel, Andover, Hampshire

Knaresborough in North Yorkshire is great as a market town. It has everything you need to get by so there is no need to travel elsewhere unless you want greater diversity. Food is particularly well catered for with several butchers, greengrocers and off-licences as well as card shops, chemists, book shops and more cafes than you can shake a stick at. There is a weekly market on Wednesdays which is very popular, particularly for day trippers who are bussed in from far and wide. I suspect most come for a bit of market shopping, a bit of sight-seeing, but mainly for lunch and good, fresh food from local farms. The report is right - good food of the kind not available in supermarkets will always have a market. The town is almost always bustling and the excellent transport links also help with a train station, bus station and the A1 nearby. Quality of life here is excellent. Long live market towns!
Dave, Knaresborough, UK

People should just accept that things do not stay the same for ever Tom, Lewes

I do try and use the local shops in my local town. I work during the week so I have to do this on a Saturday and then find it difficult to park because of all the tourists who are not buying but just wandering around. There also seems to be a culture that cheap is good so a lot of the good food shops are closing and being replaced by shops such as "bargain booze" and touristy shops. I find I have to shop online or at supermarkets to get the quality food I want to eat.
Gillian Russell, Parwich, Derbyshire, UK

I am proud of where I live, it's a multicultural city with lots of variety and choice, all kinds of food at a very good prices. It wasn't much of a town a few years ago but it has improved dramatically and is still improving. Our nightlife can be improved, more entertainment is needed. We have a good council keeping us in touch with the 21st Century.
Rajinder Mahay, Wolverhampton, England

We all 'sold out' to the supermarkets for cheaper prices and therefore should not be surprised that there are now fewer alternatives and less quality produce available to us. If we want to reverse the decline of the high street trader we need to look at quality and value, not price, demand it from them and expect to pay sensibly for it.
Phil, Ockley UK

While many of these towns continue to conduct a war against motorists, it is not suprising that local businesses will suffer.
Ben Haines, London

These days most people are time-poor and cash-rich: they don't want to have to go from shop to shop to get what they need. Shops in market towns need to evolve - there's no point opening your little market-town shop 9-to-5 weekdays when your potentially biggest-spending customers (people with well-paid jobs) are all commuters working 8-till-six up in London. If you want to get custom you have to be customer-friendly, which means being open when customers want to buy, having easy/free parking, and prices as good as those on the Net.
Roger Price, Nr. Reading, UK

I don't know why Dianne from Croydon is so down on its market. I buy my veg from there, and I find the prices generally cheaper and quality generally better than supermarkets!
Stuart, Croydon, Surrey

Our traditional markets are poor by comparison with the continent. In this country whilst the display of fruit & veg. at the front of stalls is excellent what you are given from a box somewhere at the back of the stall is often of a very differant quality. On the continent you choose what you want which is what local supermarkets now offer and why we no longer use our local market.
Malcolm Roberts, Hitchin, UK

It's hard to beat the convenience of home shopping Diana, Croydon, UK

Alnwick, the focus of the report, is my local shopping town. Alnwick has a well supported theatre and two town centre supermarkets, and is a busy shopping town with a variety of quality independent and chain brand shops. It is let down only by a lack of a quality weekly market and the greedy council who do not provide any free parking.
B. Davis, Alnwick, Northumberland

Our town has got potential (on the edge of the Peak Park), but is spoiled by the small mindedness of local planners and councillors, in my opinion. Ridiculous 'traffic calming' schemes and the installation of 4 sets of pedestrian controlled lights (all replacing perfectly good zebra crossings), make it a nightmare to drive around and park conveniently. The cobbled traditional market square complete with Saxon cross and stocks has a 70's monstrosity bank building slap bang in the middle of it, and whilst some of the shops are excellent, they still like to have half day closing on Wednesday and Saturday, and close between 5 and 5.30 weekdays... not much use when you work full time, so the supermarkets get the bulk of my business.
Clare, Chapel-en-le-Frith, Derbys

They have failed to take account of the change in lifestyle over the past 30 years Catrin, Aberystwyth, Wales

Within a 2 mile radius of my rural home I have a butchers a farm shop (great fruit, veg and animal feed) a pet shop, post office and traditional bakers. It might take a bit of planning to use all of these stores but to be welcomed by name as you enter? When was the last time a supermarket did that?
Lizzie Monk, Up the country!

In France (where, most people agree, food and life expectancy are both better than in the UK) any new out-of-town development has to be sanctioned by act of Parliament! They build few new ones, for the very same reason we build few new railways. We should introduce a similar system here, and to avoid handing a permanent competitive advantage to those out-of-town centres already in place, each should have to put its case anew, using the same criteria. They could improve their case by, for example, providing transport for their customers and employees, or being tied to a 'quota' of local produce.
Candy Spillard, York, UK

I take great pride in the market town in which I live, and personally I do a great amount of shopping there. I only use the supermarkets for the pre-packed and tinned goods, with all the fresh produce and meat coming from local shops and our market. I certainly don't believe we need anything like a cinema or theatre in our town, which manages to get along nicely with the facilities it already has.
Andy, Ossett, UK