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Weekly Photo Challenge…Three (Signs of the Times)

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Three …..Signs of the Times.  Sad to say these are now familiar signs (and there are many, many more than these three) on our High Streets and Shopping Precincts across the country.  Retail Sales are still very high, if not exactly booming, or so the stats say. But it must be for the select few.  Retail outlets are closing at a fast rate and empty shops now  familiar to all….in some locations there are more outlets empty than those trading.   Lots of initiatives have been tried but so far none appear to offer a definitive solution.  ‘To Let’  seems likely to stay for awhile.

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But to cheat in this weeks challenge of Three, here is one more image…..At least one Retail Sector seems to be able to take advantage of the situation……..Charity Shops….so I guess there are some winners!

Result

24th February

© David Oakes 2014

4 thoughts on “Weekly Photo Challenge…Three (Signs of the Times)”

  1. Indeed! We see this boards even in Norway (which – according to our politicians – is the richest country in the world) and you’d think there was enough money to go around ensuring trade in most fields, but the boards are there! Part of the picture is building costs and rental prices which are related. A new business cannot afford the rent in new modern buildings and quickly disappear, while older businesses (with a trade to go with it) prefer to stay where they are.
    Life is hard!

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    1. I guess it is also a good deal to do with todays life style and what we also call progress. The internet is partly to blame and to be fair most goods, particularly big item purchases I buy on line for quick delivery and better prices….and price does matter. Out of town shopping centres do make life easier for busy families at weekends with plenty of parking and City Shopping Marls have lots of attractions apart from shops. But even in the Shopping malls we visit in this part of the U.K. the number of retail shops are diminishing within the mall and being replaced by more and more coffee shops, fast food outlets of every description and restaurants. Retail rents on the High Street have fallen but that doesn’t help if the demand is not there. It is all called progress!

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        1. So true…there was a time when you ordered a cup of coffee and the only choice was black or with milk. But at least you got a up without waiting in and endless queue whilst folk make their minds up what to have off what seems like and endless list and then wait whilst the machine goes through the process. All I want is a cup of coffee PLEASE….

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