Margate Shrugs Off Struggling Shop Figures

The sight of empty shops blighting towns and cities is becoming increasingly common as businesses struggle to survive.

The state of the economy along with the lure of retail parks and online shopping are keeping shoppers away from town centres.

It means the average national vacancy rate has hit 14.6%, with Margate in Kent said to have had the biggest problem with 36.5% of shops unoccupied in the six months to June.

But the chairman of Margate Town Team, Terence Painter, disputes the Local Data Company figures, claiming that action being taken to rejuvenate the centre is working.

He said: "There are 108 shops and premises which we have reduced in the last six months from 25% vacancy down to 15%.

"If you walk around the town, you will always get those people who are knocking it. They have to look around now and see what is really happening in the high street and every week you will see new premises opening up."

Margate has been helped along by £100,000 of government funding and guidance from retail guru Mary Portas after being picked as one of 27 so-called Portas Pilots.

One idea has been to work with landlords to find new uses for empty shops.

Wendy James has created a craft shop and studio in one of them. It is one of many pop-up shops emerging in Margate.

"I pay a low weekly rent, with no capital outlay and it enables me to find out for myself whether in a few months down the line I can take a lease on the place," she said.

But the economic environment means it is tough for traders and more needs to be done to tempt shoppers and shopkeepers back into towns.

"High streets really matter. They matter to communities in terms of the jobs and services they provide and we can't just ignore these worryingly high levels of shop vacancies," said Richard Dodd, from the British Retail Consortium .

"We need to address things like the cost of doing business - business rates in particular - issues like parking and access for customers but also deliveries to stores, and we need to invest in making town centres into safe and attractive places people want to go to."

A new group called Streets Ahead has recently been set up in Margate also working to revive the town.

Robin Vaughan-Lyons, who runs two charity shops in the High Street, is a member and believes the town is on the up.

"I'm confident that if you come back in a year's time you will see a massive improvement in Margate," he said.

"The Turner Contemporary gallery has already brought in visitors here, the Old Town is buzzing and people are venturing up the High Street."

In the 1950s, Margate was a thriving resort with the beaches swarming with holidaymakers. It hit rock bottom during the recent recession.

There is hope the high street can be revived - but just as for other towns across the country it is going to be a challenge.