Postcode checker. How has your high street changed?

[Amity Island]

To find out how the High Streets and shopping areas near you have changed since the beginning of the pandemic, type in your postcode below.

Postcode checker: how has your High Street changed since 2020?

Fewer banks and shops but more tattoo studios and beauty salons since 2020 - how does your High Street compare?

www.bbc.com

 

[Ditto]

I think it's the Internet that's done for the High Street rather than Covid. It is all takeaways and nail salons now. Horrible.

 

[Amity Island]

I know people who get their takeaway delivered, even though they can see the takeaway from their house window. So not only are we not shopping for the ingredients to make a meal, or making the food ourselves, we can't even make it across the road now to pick up a cooked meal.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

I think it's the Internet that's done for the High Street rather than Covid.

I'm sure it's a combination of factors. The pandemic sped up preexisting trends including WFH and internet shopping. And massive cuts to local authority spending means they're less able to be flexible with rates for businesses, and Brexit (along with stupidly high housing costs) means there's fewer young people wanting to work in shops and cafes. (And Brexit means supplies are more expensive because of the paperwork.)

 

[Robin]

The BBC Post code checker is a bit odd, it didn’t include the bigger town where most of our village go for a main shop, only the smaller market town that never had any clothes shops anyway, and it also had some interesting streets like 'The access road through E….airfield' and a couple of business parks that are just that, small businesses, not retail. (I expect it’s because they have sandwich vans and mobile food stalls attending, as they are out in the sticks).

 

[Vonny]

Interestingly, the biggest increase in my area is apparently tattoo parlours!

 

[Jenny65]

Just put my postcode in, it seems fashion has taken the largest hit

Eating & drinking​

In March 2020, there were 72 eating and drinking businesses. There were 2 more in March 2022 - an increase of 3%.
In Great Britain overall:
During this period, there was a 4% increase in eating and drinking businesses.

Retail​

In March 2020 there were 192 retail shops. There were 21 fewer in March 2022 - a decrease of 11%.
In Great Britain overall:
During this period, there was a 3% decrease in retail shops.

Changes in selected categories​

= 1 shop
No change
Closure
New opened
Beauty services: 10% increase
Cafes: no change
Clothes shops: 24% decrease
Fast food: no change
Pubs and bars: no change
Restaurants: 18% increase

Crawley​

How does Crawley compare with South East and Great Britain?

From 2020 to 2022 in selected categories:

6.2% of banks closed in Crawley.
South East: 8.4% decrease
Great Britain: 8.1% decrease

12.9% more beauty services opened in Crawley.
South East: 3.4% increase
Great Britain: 5.9% increase

No change in fish and chip shops in Crawley.
South East: 2% increase
Great Britain: 2.6% increase

No change in public toilets in Crawley.
South East: 1.2% decrease
Great Britain: 2.3% decrease

8.3% more supermarket chains opened in Crawley.
South East: 2.4% increase
Great Britain: 2.5% increase

16.7% of tattoo and piercing studios closed in Crawley.
South East: 7.9% increase
Great Britain: 8.2% increase

 

[Robin]

Interestingly, the biggest increase in my area is apparently tattoo parlours!

We apparently have a 66.6% increase in tattoo parlours in the area! As I can’t even think where there is a single one, I think this is a case of one new parlour skewing the statistics!

 

[mikeyB]

We apparently have a 66.6% increase in tattoo parlours in the area! As I can’t even think where there is a single one, I think this is a case of one new parlour skewing the statistics!

That would be caused by there being two, and now there are three.

 

[Robin]

That would be caused by there being two, and now there are three.

I thought a third where there were already two made it a 50% increase, then I confused myself! Yes, there must have been a couple, but not in any of the places where I normally shop!
Edit: Just had another wrestle with the maths, I think there must have been three, and now there are two more, Who knew there were so many!

 

[nonethewiser]

I think it's the Internet that's done for the High Street rather than Covid. It is all takeaways and nail salons now. Horrible.

Include barbers shops in that statement Ditto, town only 20 miles away has about dozen that's sprung up in recent times, surprised there's enough customers to keep em going.