Forum Topic

The declining High Road

Cheese market very busy, bars and restaurants all full, shops very busy. Anyone want to claim otherwise?

Carl Wynne ● 1711d25 Comments

Good spread of Covid then!

Steve Taylor ● 1711d

Incompetent Hounslow Council. Tried their best to destroy Chiswick. Failed. They must be kicking themselves seeing it thriving. They must try harder.

Paul Campbell ● 1711d

Well, Carl, what do you make of the number of venues that opted to close for January? Or close on Sundays when previously they were not? Mind you, not COVID-related. Should we discuss reduced hours, or no?

David Lesniak ● 1711d

Unfortunately, one unseasonably fine weekend day with increased footfall does not indicate the troubles of the High Road are over.Have a chat to a local business owner and they will give you a long list of challenges that they face ahead which even the passing of Covid will not fully mitigate. Those businesses owners that have managed to keep going have generally done so by borrowing more and increased interest cost is just one of the raised costs that are going to mean they have too boost turnover to survive. Unlike private individuals energy costs are not capped for businesses. Staffing is becoming a huge problem and suitable candidates are scarcer and cost more to retain. Online competition continues and, for hospitality businesses has become more intense with consistent discounting by delivery services and the arrival 'dark kitchens' not based in the area.The credit card numbers released by the council show that spending is well down on the High Road compared with pre-pandemic levels unlike Hounslow High Street. Increased cost and reduced turnover can only mean pain for local retailers.The news isn't all bad particularly the fantastic decision by Annie's to open on the High Road. This will provide a massive boost to the area. There have been lots of interesting new openings in the centre of Chiswick over the last year and, although boarded up units remain, it doesn't have the appearance of a ghost town. These additions are, so I'm told, due to the willingness of landlords to be more flexible on lease terms and the ending of the expectation of ever higher returns which caused them to leave units vacant. It should be remembered however, that the opening of competitors with lower costs isn't necessarily going to benefit established businesses.One shop owner I spoke to said she did believe there were people at the council who recognised the problem and were anxious to help. The fear she had was that the 'solution' would be a Business Improvement District which would involve more cost and little benefit for smaller businesses in Chiswick.

Francis Rowe ● 1711d

I agree our High Road has held up well compared to others however this is in part down to wide pavements facilitating hospitality and an excellent customer base with high disposable income.What disappoints me is the lack of diversity. Do we really need yet another dining venue? Where can you find shoes, underwear, bed linen, a newsagent,etc.etc.Sadly all history.

Adrian Irving ● 1711d

Just to be clear the numbers (from Hounslow Council's report on borough retail) do not suggest CHR's sales have held up relatively well. The primary reason is likely to be the dependence on hospitality that you highlight.

Francis Rowe ● 1711d

Didn’t know Annie’s was opening on CHR. When and where please,

Sean Wales ● 1711d

The former Bill's site. Details were in the newsletter yesterday.

Mark Evans ● 1711d

http://www.chiswickw4.com/default.asp?section=leisure&page=revannies008.htm

Richard Greenhough ● 1711d

I am sorry to see Bills go but as it happens I am having lunch in Bills right now.Bills in Sheffield and very pleasant it is too. That's Bills not Sheffield!

Adrian Irving ● 1710d

It's not Annie's that's opening on the old Bill's site it's Rock & Rose, owned by the person who owns Annie's. Rock & Rose is a restaurant / cocktail bar, is fabulous, and there is another on Kew Road in Richmond next to Four Regions (Chinese) which is also fabulous. As is Four Regions (fabulous).In fact it's a fabulous day!

Chris Blackwell ● 1710d

FOur Regions or Four Seasons, am I thinking of another one.

Janice Evans ● 1710d

Think you are correct sorry thought it was Four Seasons.

Janice Evans ● 1710d

Wow - sounds brilliant.  The decor is really incredible in her restaurants.

Ed Saper ● 1710d

And sushico filling the space left by Trailfinders...

Gordon McDonald ● 1710d

Don't think we had Trailfinders in Chiswick did you mean Flight Centre?

Chris Lucy ● 1710d

Chiswick is doing well across a broad number of measures, climbing up to 18 out of 1000 according to the HDH Vitality Rankings of UK retail centres in 2021. Chiswick is now third in London, overtaking Chelsea, Richmond and Westfield.It's notable this listing out-of-town malls, as well as city centres, have tumbled down the rankings as shopping has gone more local. Although Chiswick has some outstanding restaurants, it also has a flourishing range of food shops and a growing number of independent retailers. There's also signs of Chiswick establishing itself in horticulture, building on the flower market.http://hdh.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/HDH-Vitality-Rankings-2021-Commentary-and-Methodology.pdf

Tom Pike ● 1710d

Tom, its slightly surprising to see you endorse a report that considers high car ownership to be an important factor in the viability of a retail centre!It's an interesting report but it is out of date having been produced nearly a year ago presumably based on data gathered before that and a lot has changed since then.The 'multi-variant' factors include having a Waitrose and Chiswick's rise appears to be due to having lots of cafes (good during a pandemic) and no department stores (bad during a pandemic). These criteria don't really give us an insight into conditions for businesses on the High Road right now.I'd argue that an increased ranking in this report actually represents bad news for Chiswick because it is pitched at chain retailers and a high score will encourage them to consider opening here. At the moment one of the few bright spots for CHR is increased flexibility of leases which is allowing more independent businesses to dip their toe in the water. There have been some great new openings over the past year including Laurents and Hoji but I believe these new entrants have been tempted in by attractive deals on their rent.The one piece of representative data we do have is the credit card receipts which show a fall in Chiswick over the last year, which is of concern given how many businesses have gone cashless.I know you disdain anecdotal evidence but I've talked to several local business owners over the last few months and everyone has experienced and is expecting in the future lower turnover (ignoring the effects of Covid) and higher costs. To get a clearer picture of what is happening you should talk to people on the frontline.

Francis Rowe ● 1710d

The retail vitality ranking uses a multitude of factors, and weights them according to relevance. In fact retail centres that rely on a higher proportions of footfall from customers travelling longer distances were rated negatively reflecting, and the authors emphasise, that shopping patterns "have become very localised". This aligns to Chiswick's strengths.Business owners I've talked to are most concerned about rising costs, and there should be no surprise where they place the blame - it's not a local effect! But overall Chiswick is very well placed compared to other retail centres with respect to both the income and proximity of its customers. It's those advantages, rather than relying on tired nostrums such as increased customer parking, that's providing the foundation for the new retail offerings we are seeing. Unsurprisingly, this represents a return to what motivated the original foundation of the High Road as a retail centre in the first place.

Tom Pike ● 1710d

It's certainly true that most of the problems that afflict Chiswick businesses are the same that impact businesses elsewhere with the possible exception of rents that were structurally too high. It is also definitely the case that the last 22 months haven't been quite as bad for Chiswick as some other areas because there are a high proportion of businesses such as cafes that have been able to operate much more often than others and a high proportion of WFH in the area has provided an additional boost. Nevertheless till receipts are still down.This does seem to have led to an increase in arrival of the type of businesses that don't rely on good customer parking but there are many that remain that do. Luckily for Chiswick as a retail centre the council have wound back on some of the earlier measures that reduced available spaces and have been careful to maintain the number of spaces in changes over the last year.

Francis Rowe ● 1710d

With respect to both Francis and Tom - and it should come as no surprise I agree more with Francis on this - it always amuses me when I read about our business(es) as if we are nothing but participants in some game of chess. Just pawns to be shoved here and there. But lately I've come to rely on a different metaphor: portrait painting. It's as if you are attempting to capture the subject but only want to use a photograph to do so. Or in Tom's case, a photograph of a relative who may share some traits with the subject. You might get a representation, but you'll never capture the true nuance unless you opt to sit and engage with the subject and capture that essence with your keystrokes.

David Lesniak ● 1710d

It is difficult for me to judge the decline of CHR because it needs to be looked at compared to other high streets and I do not use other high streets.It is pretty obvious that all high streets have suffered over the last few years, Covid has massively accelerated the advance of on-line shopping which obvious reduces spending on the high street.CHR does look rather sad for itself.  There are a significant number of voids, usually masked by yet another charity shop operating from there.  But it is not even close to how bad it was in the early 1990s.

Justin Stephenson ● 1709d

Personally I think the High Road is evolving rather than declining. It did go through a bit of a lack lustre phase a couple of years ago (didn't we all?) but there are some exciting things happening now.Sushico and Rock & Rose ... great stuff!

Chris Blackwell ● 1709d

I wish Rock and Rose the best of luck, but personally, I prefer to go somewhere away from the busiest bit of CHR if I'm going to a non-chain restaurant ... maybe because it feels a bit more special to me?Love going to Annies in SOTG, and Tarantella in Elliot Road, and I used to like going to Southeys (which was on CHR but it was a smaller premises).Will give Rock and Rose a go though, I've never been to the one in Richmond, but if there's one on my doorstep maybe I'll be converted.

Andrew Jones ● 1709d

Southeys was a brilliant place

Sarah Vickers ● 1709d