Is Your High Street a Best Kept Secret?

It’s a phrase we’ve heard more than once while working with independent businesses around the UK.

“Our high street is a best kept secret.”

It’s usually said with a smile, almost as though it’s something to be proud of.

Yet only moments later, those same retailers are telling us how worried they are about declining footfall and falling sales.

Can you see the contradiction?

A secret is only exciting if someone eventually discovers it. If they don’t, it’s simply invisible.

One particular high street really brought this home for us. Approaching by car, the main road almost encouraged us to drive straight past. There was no clue that, just one street away, sat a beautiful collection of independent shops, cafés, restaurants and businesses.

Had we not been visiting deliberately, we’d never have known it was there. Once we’d parked, we instantly fell in love with the place.

Then came another surprise.

Businesses in a neighbouring town, less than ten minutes away, admitted they rarely visited because they’d almost forgotten the high street existed.

That was heartbreaking.

Here was a place full of character, independent businesses and friendly faces, yet it wasn’t competing with nearby towns. It wasn’t even entering the conversation.

Too many of our towns expect people to simply find them.

But today’s visitors have endless choices.

If we want thriving high streets, we have to start inviting people in. We need to entice them and give them a reason to stop and stay.

Over the next few weeks we’ll be looking at some of the simplest ways towns can do exactly that, from wayfinding and place branding to one of our favourite low-cost ideas… bunting.

Perhaps it’s time our high streets stopped being Britain’s best kept secrets.

Wendy Walker

The High Street Experts

Entice passers by and direct them to your high streets

Could your high street be hiding in plain sight?

At The High Street Experts, we work with councils, BIDs and town teams to assess the visitor journey from first impressions and wayfinding through to footfall, business mix and customer experience. Our independent place reviews identify practical opportunities to help more people discover, navigate and enjoy town centres, creating recommendations that support long-term economic growth.

If you'd like to understand how visitors experience your town, we'd be delighted to help. hello@thehighstreetexperts.com