Or, where a BID or council is working in lockstep with local traders to host events, promote the festive offer and draw people into their destination.

Feel free to comment, tag and share links below! 👇

I've lots of case study material already, but am keen to use these sessions as an opportunity to celebrate and showcase examples of creative retailers and places that I might not be aware of yet - perhaps where something authentic and local is being held as an antidote to Black Friday, for instance.

Drawing from the many places I have worked and visited, the sessions will provide practical tips on how to maximise festive visibility and trade, including how best to tap into occasions such as #BlackFriday, Small Business Saturday, and local #Christmas events.

Excellent! As I have said many times before, I just don't understand why the BRC doesn't do more to say how fantastic retail is, alongside its campaigning messages. It portrays retail as a cheerless industry no young person would want to start a career in, which is totally not the reality.

Maybe go #HighStreetPositives as @grahamsoult.bsky.social suggests: “Retail is a major employer with determined, resilient, innovative people at every level. It’s doing great stuff in challenging times and could make an even bigger contribution to your growth target given supportive policy & regs…?”

I'm glad you posted these remarks to save me having to do so, Leigh! The HIghStreetPositives campaign also has survey data showing that when you bombard people with negative "high street" headlines - even when unjustified - it helps create the very problem you are supposedly trying to mitigate.

Not really my point. The BRC data show high street footfall up by 0.7% but the article and the headline (especially) is designed not to tell you that.

Whether the data from varying sources differ is a different thing. It os the pushing of a narrative despite the data that riles me here

Exactly! 😂

I keep the Co-op bags to reuse, forget they're compostable, and then end up with a handful of disintegrated slivers 🤣

Completely agree! How many developed markets in the world can say this? And not just for customers but also new entrant challenger suppliers: can't get listed by one grocer, try another one!

I know Tesco's share is significantly more than anyone else's, but the fact we have six grocers with a share of 8% or higher is notable - when did that last happen? To me that indicates a healthy market with plenty of competition.

The #Peterborough store (also a former M&S, snapped by me here in 2018) shows that B&M is capable of a more tasteful approach to signage when it wants!

Interesting, thank you! I'm definitely eating out less in the evenings - it's just not possible any more 😥

The piece went online a fortnight ago, but is in print today.
Here’s a gift link, if you’d like to read free:

Middle-class families are choking on the £100 ‘casual meal out’
www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/96d6c66...