For too long, high streets have been seen in the media as struggling.
At We Are Acuity, we see the opposite—innovation, resilience, and opportunity.
My conversation this week with Laura Harris, founder of High Street Positives, reinforced this shared belief. High streets aren’t dying—they’re evolving, and their success stories need to be told.
High Street Positives: Changing the Narrative.
Laura’s initiative highlights retailers, landlords, councils, and local businesses investing in high streets. Instead of focusing on closures, it showcases openings, community-led regeneration, and new opportunities. At We Are Acuity, we believe in the power of storytelling, and High Street Positives is making success stories visible.
Signs of a High Street Rebound.
Savvy retailers are doubling down on physical spaces, proving the high street’s lasting value:
Convenience Store Expansion: Major supermarket chains are significantly increasing their convenience store portfolios and investment in local shops SPAR International, Waitrose & Partners, Tesco, Morrisons, Marks and Spencer, Co-op all look to make their stamp in the market, from new stores to revamped sites.
New QSR Restaurants: Chick-fil-A Restaurants and Velvet Taco UK debut, following Dave's Hot Chicken, Wingstop Restaurants Inc. & Popeyes Louisiana Chicken UK. Loungers plc expanding to 249 UK locations.
Expanding branches: Holland & Barrett & Mountain Warehouse both opening 50 new stores across the UK. Halfords shares rise by 13.5%, and Pets at Home remains resilient, actively diversifying its store estate, with smaller-format stores.
Why Physical Retail Still Matters.
Laura and I spoke about what makes the high street irreplaceable in an age of e-commerce. The answer? It’s about more than just shopping.
🌟 It’s immersive – A screen can’t replace the experience of walking into a store, feeling the product, or talking to someone who knows their stuff.
🤝 It’s human – Retail isn’t just about transactions; it’s about relationships, trust, and community.
🔗 It’s connected – Savvy brands are using physical spaces to enhance their online presence, creating seamless experiences that bring the best of both worlds together.
Retailers who get this—who embrace the high street’s role as a hub for engagement, discovery, and connection—are the ones shaping its future.
Looking Ahead: A Shared Vision for 2025.
This isn’t just optimism. It’s reality. And it’s why We Are Acuity is standing alongside High Street Positives to help drive this movement forward.
The future of the high street isn’t just about short-term footfall or balance sheets. It’s about people and communities. It’s about stories. It’s about belief.
At We Are Acuity, we believe in local. We believe in retail. We believe in people.
And we believe that, together, we can rewrite the narrative of our high streets—not as relics of the past, but as essential spaces for the future.
2025 is the year to celebrate that.
Are you in?
To learn more about how local marketing can support a High Street rebound, check out our Shop and Eat Local campaign case study.
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