3.3.4
Original Document
Birmingham has an excellent shopping offer in terms of mainstream fashion outlets and multiple retailers but independent and niche retailers are not strongly represented compared with some other cities. This results in a degree of blandness in the city centre’s shopping streets. A city of Birmingham’s size should have one or more areas of interesting specialist and niche shops. In some cities there are several of these areas each specialising in different things, such as fashion, furnishings or food. These shopping areas can cater for very upmarket shopping requirements or can provide affordable and interesting alternatives to the usual multiple shops. The Big City Plan provides an opportunity to think about how Birmingham can harbour and encourage these specialist areas and where they might go.
Plain English Translation
Birmingham has a good number of chain stores and popular clothes shops, but not enough independent or small shops when compared to other cities. This can make the shopping areas of Birmingham feel bland.
In some cities there are several areas that specialise in different things, such as fashion, furnishings or food. These shopping areas can provide very upmarket shopping or can provide affordable and interesting alternatives to chain stores.
The Big City Plan is a chance to see what we could do to encourage these areas, and where they should be.
Definitely more independant shops, my understanding is that business rates are the big obstacle here pushing small retailers further outside the City Centre. I'm not so sure 'compartmentalising' shopping areas is a good idea.
Independent outlets have the capacity to bring some much-needed diverse personailty to the city – and is something I'd expect to see in more abundance in a major city like Birmingham. Too often I see the same names in many city centres. It's boring and I feel that larger established businesses are monopolising activities and, in certain instances, doing to through multiple outlets in a relatively small area. I want to go to Birmingham City Centre because I can have the opportunity to purchase unique items there that I can't anywhere else as well as to be able to access the larger brands.
Niche areas could be counterproductive if they only entice visitors to one area of the centre. Give people a choice so they can decide for themselves where to visit and have their eyes opened up to other traders they may not have otherwise come across.
I agree with the above comment – business rates actively discourage this at present. Fledgling independent businesses may also feel put off by the sheer amount of household names that surround them – trying to compete with what's become the same-old-names in many city centres is hardly encouraging.
In conjunction to this approach of increasing independent entities, does the city need to be more measured in terms of monitoring the amount of 'chains' (including eateries as well as retail stores) in order to allow eclectic enterprises, and the different 'voices' they bring, to flourish more?
I think as well as more independent shops in the city centre I would like to see more charity shops.
These are becoming more and more popular in this economic climate and the complete lack of these in the city centre of Bimingham is disappointing and I know a lot of people who would like to see a lot more of them.