Business Leaders call for concerted action on High Streets

Alex Gourlay, CEO of Alliance Boots led a meeting with Mary Portas recently as part of her High Street Review for Government.  Organised by Business in the Community business leaders from retail, banking and property were in attendance.

We had a good discussion with Mary Portas about the health of the high street and what the respective responsibilities of the private and the public sector are in revitalising those town centres which are now in desperate need of investment.

Among other issues, the business leaders discussed:
• The cost of doing business in the high street
• The roles and responsibilities of high street tenants and their store/branch managers in revitalising the high street
• Business engagement at local level and how businesses can support their local leaders’ involvement
• How to support smaller independents in a tough trading environment
• The impact of planning and disparate land ownership

Alex Gourlay, CEO of Boots said, “We had a good discussion with Mary Portas about the health of the high street and what the respective responsibilities of the private and the public sector are in revitalising those town centres which are now in desperate need of investment.”

Stephen Howard, Chief Executive of Business in the Community said, “High Streets are at the heart of communities and are a barometer that indicates how the local economy is doing. Our business members recognise that it’s not just the responsibility of Government but also of Business itself to help revitalise struggling towns.

In attendance at the meeting were:
Mary Portas and her team from Yellowdoor
Alex Gourlay, Chief Executive of the Health & Beauty Division, Alliance Boots (Chair)
Tim McCoy, Director of Communications, Starbucks
Chris Grigg, CEO, British Land
Luke Mayhew, Chairman, British Retail Consortium
Brian Mullens, Chief Financial Officer, McDonalds
Stephen Howard, CEO Business in the Community
Graham Lindsay, Director, Lloyds TSB and BoS Community Banks
Martyn Hulme, Managing Director of Co-operative Estates
Emma Thornton, Head of City Centre Management, Cambridge

The Mary Portas Revitalising the High Streets Review will be published in November.