Northampton town centre seen as a social community hub

It was believed to be one of the biggest shifts from retail to restaurants in the UK postcode area.

Instead of being that big night out where people are only drinking, we've seen families, groups, celebrations, team-building, date nights, speed-dating, and things like that, so we opened it up as more of a usable space for everyone, he said.

He said that there is an opportunity to turn town centres into more social community hubs where people can get together, like they do in Spain, and have alfresco dining.

The chain stores that have pulled out of Northampton town centre are House of Frasier, Marks Spencer and British Home Stores.

Mark Mullen, operations manager for Northampton's Business Improvement District, said businesses have proved they can adapt and evolve to be experiential providers in order to complement their offer since the pandemic. Kardi Somerfield, a senior lecturer in advertising and digital marketing at the University of Northampton, said the changing landscape of High Streets could revitalise independent hyper-local retail in the long run.

She stated that the more recreational and experiential types of shopping, which may include eating, drinking, health and beauty services, are more likely to stay, as it seems to be borne out in the research.