Bristol in 2020: Retail

It goes without saying that 2020 has been a difficult year for all businesses, and especially small, local shops.

With two lockdowns, Bristol being place in tier three and reductions of customers allowed inside stores, the amount that shops can make through physical sales has been massively lowered.

With big names including Debenhams and Arcadia going into administration the impact of the ongoing pandemic is clear to see.

Bristol’s independent traders continue to innovate however, with new businesses opening throughout the year and many moving online.

Debenhams overlooking the Bearpit faces closure – which Bristol West MP Thangam Debbonaire described as “desperately worrying news for people in Bristol” – with local job losses likely.

Debenhams stores across the country face closure. Photo: Martin Booth

Michael Korrs and LK Bennett along the Quakers Friars strip, and the Cabot Circus corner store once occupied by Dorothy Perkins and Miss Selfridge have closed their doors during 2020. Cabot Circus’ Monsoon, Oasis and Warehouse stores were also casualties of the first lockdown.

Hammerson, the owner of Cabot Circus recently revealed a £319.8m loss in the first six months of the year, with chief executive David Atkins blaming a “challenging retail landscape and pressure on traditional high street fashion”.

Phil Smith, managing director at Business West, says retailers who embrace the latest technologies are also most likely to survive and thrive.

“Bristol has a fantastic retail and leisure offer and this plays an instrumental role in enhancing the city’s reputation as a great place to live, work and do business,” he told Bristol24/7.

“Nevertheless, Bristol is not immune from broader issues that are responsible for high-street woes up and down the country.

“Of these, the digital shift in consumer behaviour is and will continue to have an impact, providing both a threat and opportunity for retailers. Retailers who merge bricks and mortar stores with digital tend to be the ones holding their own.”

Arrows, tape on the ground and mask-wearing is now the norm when shopping in bricks and mortar stores. Photo: Ellie Pipe

On the other hand, Steve Bluff, manager at Broadmead BID, says that, while 2020 has led to high street closures, the city centre is still holding its own against online shopping, of which there is growing concern surrounding environmental impact.

In the city centre, there is a 1.2 per cent increase in footfall, versus a national decline of -1.3 per cent.

With queuing systems, maximum numbers of customers and cleaning stations in most shops since the first lockdown ended in June, Covid-safe shopping has become the norm in Bristol and throughout the UK.

In contrast the the ever-present queues around Primark and arrows on the floors and plastic screens between tills, many have made the move online: either in addition to a physical store or as a sole method of training.

Bouquets for Days, a local flower business, new perfume sellers Jones & Modha and Yuup, which offers Bristol-based experiences all sell exclusively online.

And despite the impact of the pandemic being “overwhelmingly negative” – Business West found that 44 per cent of business leaders have current concerns about their financial position, rising to 75 per cent in the future – some new shops have bucked the trend, opening physical stores in despite of the ongoing uncertainty.

Just next to Debenhams, Primark has seen consistent queues when open. Photo: Ellie Pipe

In Wapping Wharf, Every Good Thing and Frankly have opened their doors. Mila, in Quakers Friars, started as a “side-hustle” during the first lockdown and progressing to opening its physical store in November 2020, and Molotow opened its first store outside of London between lockdowns, on Nelson Street.

In Old Market, Good Store Studio even gained recognition for their community-focused business at the Independent Awards 2020, while the SOFA Project, a reuse store of Gloucester Road, celebrated 40 years.

Storysmith in Southville and Max Minerva’s in Westbury Park joined the campaign against Amazon, becoming part of Bookshop.

Bookshop, which aims to support independent booksellers, will ensure the 130 signed-up stores receive the full profit margin, 30 per cent of the cover price, from each sale, with founder and CEO Andy Hunter saying: “Bookshop’s mission is to empower customers in supporting local, brick and mortar bookstores, providing book buyers with an easy way to shop online while continuing to support their local high street.”

Shop Bristol, a directory of 23 lifestyle and gift stores from across the city, has also been created at a local level, to encourage people to shop at their nearby independents.

Spearheaded by the owner of Prior in Old Market, Beck, the aim is to make sure money is given to smaller businesses.

Beck Prior in her shop, studio and workshop space. Photo: Jess Connett

It’s a sign that community of local business owners and resilience of Bristol’s shop staff could well be the kind of care and localized support Bristol’s stores – big and small – need to make it through the continuing coronavirus pandemic.

“If you shop online in the local stores, you are not only supporting the local designers and people who own and run each business, but also putting money back into Bristol’s economy and communities,” Beck says.

“Your support keeps us going.”

Main photo: Good Store Studio

Read more: Bristol’s independent gift stores launch directory