Welcome to the May HighStreetPositives Newsletter!

A huge thank you, as always, for reading, sharing your stories, case studies, feedback and support. It’s brilliant to see such a growing community of people passionate about championing our high streets.

We’re absolutely thrilled to welcome Greenwoods Legal LLP as our fifth Founding Supporter! Greenwoods are a creative, people-first law firm specialising in real estate, perfectly aligned with our mission.

Our current Supporters now include: Greenwoods Legal LLP, Kesslers London, Treasure Map Trails, Enterprise Nation and The Mosaic Partnership! We are so so grateful for their support.

🧡 Our Membership Community is growing!
It’s full of people vested in the future of high streets - from landlords and retailers to councils, charities, sports hubs, and grassroots champions. If you care about the high street and want to connect with like-minded people - We’d love you to join us.

🎉 Launch events are coming up!
📍 London – 3rd July
📍 Darlington – 11th September
Want to join us, sponsor, or get involved? Message me to register your interest.

🚧 There’s lots happening behind the scenes too…
We're deep in event planning, updating the members’ community platform, commissioning more research, and cooking up some exciting new projects – so watch this space!

‘The High Street is Dying’ They said…However…

There are loads of positive news stories from high streets across the UK. Here's a selection of highlights, celebrating new store openings, regeneration projects, and other positive developments. Thank you for all your contributions.

• Alo Yoga is opening its first UK store outside London, located in Brighton, targeting the city’s growing wellness and active lifestyle consumer base.

• Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS secures a 10-year lease for the 12,000 sq ft former Ted Baker store on Regent Street, opening summer 2026.

• Stephen Webster has opened a new flagship in Burlington Arcade, featuring jewellery, homeware, art - and the speakeasy-style No Regrets Lounge tucked beneath the boutique.

• Leicester city centre is undergoing an £8 million regeneration, funded mainly by Leicester City Council through market provisions, highways budgets, and the Shared Prosperity Fund, to modernise Leicester Market and improve connectivity with the new Cank Street Link.

• Sally Themans of Good2Great hosted a ‘Meeting of Minds’ seminar that focused on tackling high street vacancies through rental auctions, community ownership, and place partnerships. Speakers included Vicki Bidwell, Iain Nicholson, and Charlotte Hollins. The event garnered excellent feedback and positive media attention.

• Seasalt opened its fourth UK store this year in Bromley, expanding its retail presence and offering coastal-inspired clothing to the local market.

• Thousands flocked to Knowle High Street on 10th May for a vibrant VE80 celebration, marking 80 years since the end of WWII in Europe. Organised by Visit Knowle, the event featured live music, vintage vehicles, a dog show, and a buzzing artisan market – all delivered by volunteers on a limited budget.

  The impact was huge: Facebook views hit 192,000 (up 60%), engagement soared to 15.4k (up 106%), and Instagram interactions rose by 38%. It was a powerful show of community spirit – and a real boost for local pride.

• Castle Quarter in Norwich is supporting 13 local charities this May through its Bloom Together campaign, offering free space to raise awareness, fundraise, and connect with the community. Groups like RNLI and Voluntary Norfolk have already taken part, with more joining throughout the month in this feel-good, community-driven initiative.

• Droitwich Arts Network is a vibrant group of over 100 local artists working across all forms of art. In partnership with St Andrew’s Square shopping centre in Droitwich, they created pop-up art exhibitions and community hubs in two long-vacant units. These volunteer-run spaces showcased local talent, boosted footfall, improved the atmosphere, and helped attract new tenants - proving how creativity can bring life back to shopping areas and turn empty units into desirable spaces.

• Vinegar Hill, a family-run homeware retailer, seeks new store locations across England, including Winchester and Harpenden.

• Thunderdog, a new venture by the team behind Buck's Bar, is opening on 30 May 2025 in Glasgow's West End, offering Chicago-style deep-dish pizzas and buttermilk fried chicken dogs.

• Nobody’s Child launched its largest standalone boutique in Brighton, increasing its retail footprint and providing a wider selection of fashion products.

• Exciting times at St David’s Cardiff: JD Sports will open a new 31,000+ sq ft store in spring 2026, Swatch returns with its only standalone Welsh store this summer, and Sephora makes its Wales debut this autumn. Several brands including Trespass, Damaged Society and Accessorize have also upsized or refurbished their stores.

• Stockroom, a major new cultural and community space, has opened in Stockport’s Merseyway Shopping Centre. Six years in the making, it marks a key milestone in the town’s £1bn regeneration- offering inclusive, flexible space for learning, creativity, and connection, shaped around community needs and collaboration.

• Fit M Fun, Littlehampton: Opened in April 2025, this studio offers Zumba, yoga, meditation, and wellness events. Located on Littlehampton High Street, it occupies the former M&Co space.

• Wrexham AFC opened its primary club shop at Eagles Meadow Shopping Centre, providing official merchandise and enhancing the local retail offering.

• Screwfix plans to open up to 35 new stores across the UK in 2025, aiming to improve access to trade tools and supplies.

• Mont-Bell opened its first UK store in Keswick, Lake District, offering high-performance outdoor gear and camping equipment, operated by Wisdom & Effort, part of Ellis Brigham.

• Specsavers launched a new store in Thirsk, North Yorkshire, providing eye and hearing care services, including tests and home visits.

Focus on the People First and the Profit Will Follow

By Sally Pepper, Founder, Sally Pepper Consulting Ltd
www.independentretail.community

“ When I began working with independent retailers in 2014, I quickly realised that if we want thriving high streets, the mountain had to move to meet the people. That meant showing up in their shops, listening deeply, and building support around their needs, not my assumptions.

Independents are creative, passionate, and deeply embedded in their communities. Often running businesses rooted in a passion for what they do. They bring a sense of familiarity, safety, and connection. Ignore them or price them out and you lose the very thing that gives a place its soul.

But this work isn't just about shops. It’s about people feeling seen, heard, valued and empowered so they believe they can be part of the change. It’s about trust. I’ve seen how things shift when communities are involved from the start. Working with Business Sheffield I was privileged to work with Economic Recovery Fund project teams. These were grassroots initiatives led by residents, businesses, and community groups who genuinely cared. There was excitement, creativity, and real commitment. But there were challenges, especially navigating council processes and funding parameters. The bulk of the work often fell to a committed few, leaving them exhausted trying to run a business and manage a large project that was to deliver on so many expectations.  Despite the challenges it highlights what’s possible when you involve the wider community in the work with over 40 successful projects delivered over the 4 years.

So much of what works in our towns and cities comes down to power. Who holds it. Who uses it. And how. Too often, decisions are made without the voices of those who live with the outcomes. We need to shift from power over to power with. Real change is collaborative. It starts by listening, building trust, and giving people ownership.

We don’t fix high streets from the top down. We fix them by investing in the people already holding them together. “

Join the NEW HighStreetPositives Membership Community

We’ve launched HighStreetPositives membership! For £10/month (£100/year), join a brilliant, well-connected, passionate community involved in helping the high street. Network, get access to forums, case studies, shared insights, early notice of events and reports - and a beautiful, shiny new badge by We Are Acuity to show your support. If cost is a barrier, let us know - we’re here for everyone passionate about the cause. Join Us - HighStreetPositives. 

The Requirement List is a database of active retail & leisure property requirements, used by the majority of the retail property market.

Below are a handful of recent requirements added to the site:

• TK Maxx have recently shared their 'Inside M25' property requirements. They are seeking between 10,000-30,000 sq.ft, with the ability to trade from 2 floors. Target locations in include Borehamwood, Croydon, Dulwich + more

• Now trading from over 50 stores, Fone World are searching for new stores in busy High Street and Shopping Centre locations. Ideally units between 300-1,000 sq.ft in towns across the UK. You can view their target town list here

• SamPoundStores, which currently trades from 23 stores, have a London requirement for leasehold or freehold properties of between 3,000-6,000 sq.ft in prime and good secondary High Street locations. Target towns listed

• Sky is actively seeking new retail sites in 2025, they have a nationwide requirement for 1000 sq.ft in prime locations, including Bath, Canterbury, Glasgow + more. View all targets here

• Footasylum will consider all major cities and schemes between 4,000-10,000 sq. ft in prime shopping centre, high street or retail park locations. View more here

• TJ Hughes has an urgent small and large format requirement for High Street, Shopping Centres and Out of Town stores. Ranging from 10,000-50,000 sq ft. View their requirements here

• With 160+ coffee shops across the UK & Ireland, Insomnia Coffee are currently focusing on the Midlands. You can view their latest property requirements and target town list here

Does your business need to know who's active in the market? You can view more active retail & leisure property requirements here. Use the High Street Positives promo code 'HSP' at the checkout for 10% off your subscription.  

Thank you for reading this edition of the HighStreetPositives Monthly newsletter!

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• And finally, if you have any news, suggestions, or collaboration opportunities, I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to contact me at laura@highstreetpositives.com