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The Booksellers Association has welcomed Mary Portas’ report into the future of the high street, saying there is “no time to waste” in implementing her recommendations.
Sydney Davies, head of trade and industry at the BA, said the report had addressed "to some extent" all the recommendations the trade body had submitted to the review in August. The BA had called for reduced rates and rent to “balance out” the difference between high street and internet retailers, business rate relief for small businesses and some provision for free parking, among other measures.
Portas spotlights the need to put value and vibrancy back into the high street in her report. Davies said: "This is exactly what a bookshop brings to the community. This supports the position the Booksellers Association has long held about the vital importance of booksellers on the high street for the UK.”
He also praised Portas’ assertion that people should reassess what they consider to be valuable, following a boom consumerism which had devalued human interaction. Davies said: “It’s not just about price. As Mary says, ‘We need a more sophisticated understanding of what a good deal for a consumer is, looking beyond simply price-based considerations to include community wellbeing and long-term sustainability’.”
The BA agreed with Portas that “landlords are choosing the safe option of charity shops and small new retailers aren’t getting a look in” and “start-ups should be the number one priority when it comes to giving discounts".
Davies said: “Mary believes our high streets have reached ‘a crisis point’ and her findings have led her to believe that unless urgent action is taken, the casualties will only continue to multiply. We therefore hope that local and national government takes this valuable report seriously. There is no time to waste.”