Place Informatics, the leading provider of footfall and location visitor behaviour data monitoring in the UK, is working with over 250 towns in the UK and believes detailed visitor insights are key to understanding and informing on the most effective service or retail option for thousands of empty shops, as new Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill will hand power to local authorities.
In May 2021 14% of all UK shops were empty, partly due to the impact of the pandemic and in response, the UK Government has laid out an unprecedented amount of financial support for Town Centres and High Streets. Alongside this the new ‘Levelling Up’ Bill is set to give Local Councils the power to invite bids for shops that have been vacant more than 6 months allowing community groups and small businesses to fill voids on the high street and help attract more visitors.
It is, however, critical that the services or retail options chosen will increase in footfall from the right catchment areas and help regenerate the community which is why many councils are using detailed insights of visitor behaviour to ensure that they can make an informed decision. Choosing the right retail option or leisure activities will have the maximum impact and attract the right consumers to help revitalise these high streets.
Place Informatics visitor behaviour platform helps councils across the UK understand how their visitors are behaving, where they are being attracted from and most importantly what services they are utilising on their visit including retail, leisure, green spaces and car parks.
Clive Hall, CEO of Place Informatics, commented, “It is great to see that this new bill is set to give power to local councils to help fill empty retail outlets across the UK. We work closely with many councils and our detailed insights on visitor behaviour empowers them with the data to understand what services or retail outlets will have the biggest impact, increase their catchment area and drive footfall to their town centres.”
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