Death of the High Street: who needs shops anyway?

This is Money Podcast

This is Money

Business News, Business, Investing, News

4.1 • 650 Ratings

🗓️ 3 June 2016

⏱️ 55 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Walk around town centres in Britain and what do you see? A few chain stores, a Poundland or two, betting shops, charity shops, lots of empty shops, Amazon delivery vans, tumbleweed?

We don't shop in the High Street like we used to. Even Poundland has a website with free delivery for orders over £50 (OK, that's a lot of sweets).

The High Street has just got a little bit deader with BHS and Austin Reed the latest casualties.

What went so wrong?

Is it sad, simply inevitable or perhaps good news that empty shops might be converted into homes?

Join the mighty money triumvirate, broadcaster of the year Georgie Frost, This is Money editor Simon Lambert and consumer affairs editor Lee Boyce as they take us on an aural tour of the death of our towns.

Also on the show

The made-up claims of EU referendum campaigners.

Is it time to offload your buy-to-let?

What's going on in the property market?

There's a couple of great questions about pensions...

Were you 'contracted out' without realising and likely to lose a ton of cash as a result?
Is it worth saving for a pension at all if you only earn £15,000 a year? In other words do you want to retire on an income of £8,000 a year - or do you fancy a bit more?

And finally

The question everyone is asking: How do you get two whales in an electric car?

#tesla #eu #bhs #shopping #pensions #money #buytolet

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is Money, brought to you in partnership with NS&I, giving you 100% security for your savings.
0:17.6	A very warm welcome to This Is Money and Share Radio podcast in partnership with NS&I.
0:22.7	I'm Georgie Frost here with you on DAB across the country, online and through the Share Radio mobile app.
0:28.5	Every weekday from 9 until midday, sharing ideas about money.
0:32.7	I'm joined in the studio today by editor Simon Lambert and Consumer Affairs editor Lee Boyce
0:37.4	from the financial
0:38.7	website of the year to talk through some of the stories they've been investigating over the last
0:43.6	seven days and on the agenda today, VHS shuts up shop.
0:52.3	Two groups that lose out immediately are 11,000 workforce and 20,000 people, current or future pensioners.
1:01.0	It seems like there were more people interested in the stores than they were in Austin Reed as a whole.
1:06.0	Because of course it follows Austin Reed's failure this week, leaving altogether 12,000
1:11.5	jobs and almost 300 stores at risk, a symptom of a struggling high street or individual mismanagement.
1:18.6	Also this week, 20 days to go, Brexit rhetoric reaches fever pitch.
1:22.2	What a contrast between the Leave campaign with their fantasy politics, unworkable proposals.
1:28.3	If you have rubbish assumptions, you get rubbish forecasts and that's what we've got now
1:32.3	from the OECD.
1:33.3	But has it all gone a little surreal?
1:36.3	What is she? Beautiful milker, beautiful car.
1:39.3	He's looking lovely.
1:41.3	Also today, have you asked yourself what sort of a pension personality you are?
1:45.8	No? Not a help me, Helen, a procrastinating peak.
1:49.0	Perhaps they spend it, Simon.
	...

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