Some good news for the High Street.

There’s no denying, it’s tough all around right now.

However, there are positives if you look for them. For instance, shoppers spent 3.2% more in December 2024 compared to the previous year.

And according to British Retail Consortium overall annual sales were up by 0.7% compared to 2023 despite low consumer confidence and challenging economic conditions.

Of course, media headlines this week focus on provisional data from the Centre For Retail Research Limited, reporting the UK lost 37 shops a day in 2024.

They were less vocal that losses were below the levels seen each year between 2019 and 2022.

Or that research for the first six months of the year showed 25 new outlets opening a day, with strong growth in convenience stores, coffee shops, value retailers and cafes according to PwC.

As Lisa Hooker from PwC UK remarked in September, “The good news is that the rate of net closures has stabilised, and consumers will always want somewhere to grab a coffee, a last-minute present, or enjoy the experience of in-store shopping.”

Some economists are even seeing scope for stronger consumer spending in 2025, as wages are forecast to rise in real terms and average household savings are high compared with pre-pandemic levels.

However, the High Street continues to undergo significant adjustments, with independent stores facing the brunt of the challenges. Reductions in financial support, such as the phasing out of Covid-era grants and schemes, coupled with increasing tax pressures, have hit small businesses particularly hard.

Which is why shopping locally is more important than ever.

Initiatives such as Shop and Eat Local and Local Gift Cards are instrumental in supporting independent businesses, which represent an impressive 99.2% of the UK’s business population.

These programmes encourage consumers to rediscover the value of their High Streets, helping to retain more money within local economies.

Research on spending by local authorities shows that for every £1 spent with a small or medium-sized business, 63p stayed in the local economy, compared to 40p with a larger business.

We were delighted to support these initiatives in 2024 with Watford Town Centre BID and Watford Borough Council. Not only safeguarding jobs and livelihoods but also helping Watford’s vibrant, resilient community to thrive.

The impact of these initiatives was remarkable.

In Watford, the Shop and Eat Local campaign led to an impressive 93% sales growth in November, while our promotional efforts around the Watford Gift Card boosted annual sales by 12.5%!

Local marketing is often one of the first activities to be cut during difficult times.

However, it’s precisely in challenging periods that doubling down on local strategies can deliver the greatest impact. Just ask Glen Hempenstall and Tim Ashby.

To learn more about how we achieved these results, check out the full case study.

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