Blackpool has one of the strongest high streets in the UK in 2023, new report finds

The resort was included in a list of cities – despite being a town – whose shopping centres were analysed in a study commissioned by money-saving and online fundraising website, Savoo.

Using an index of statistics, it was found that Blackpool not only made the top five on the ‘spend index score’ but it topped the lot by far, with a score of 195.

Blackpool was also reckoned to second only to Plymouth in terms of its ability to recover from the effects of the Covid lockdown.

The news may come as a surprise to some shoppers in Blackpool, as the town has lost some key retail outlets since lockdown, including WH Smith, H&M and Debenhams, while the town’s Marks and Spencer shop has reduced its display size post-Covid.

However, a number of new independent stores have recently opened in the town, including discount book store Books For Less on Birley Street, Mel Kelly Cakes and Bakes on Church Street, hand-made soap shop Scent on Topping Street and gift store Aunty Social, also on Topping Street.

The survey findings did not comes as a surprise to Jemma Smith, manager at Toyland Toyshop on Church Street, who said: “We have been doing better this year than last year and the town centre has been fairly busy.

"I definitely think our shops benefit from all the things going on at the Winter Gardens, it brings people into the area.

"I’m not that surprised because we get a lot of people coming here.”

The study also found that there were 424 retail jobs within the Blackpool high street area in 2023.

Perhaps not surprisingly, Blackpool also scored highly on the ‘night time index’ score.

Savoo commissioned the survey, using AI technology, to predict how UK high streets would change by 2030.

The data shows that overall in the UK in 2030 we can expect to see 13,228 chain store closures compared to just 898 chain stores opening on our UK high streets, meaning an overall reduction of around 11,371 chain stores.

It predicts that many online-only shops will be opening in town centres.

Ed Fleming, Managing Director at Savoo adds: “The way that people shop has changed considerably in the past 10 years. With the rise in online shopping becoming more convenient for many, we have seen huge high-street names buckle. With the Cost of Living crisis, people are guided by the pursuit of value and necessity, with many looking online for as many savings as possible.

“People's shopping habits are forever changing and businesses need to adapt quickly to survive. It will be interesting to see which types of shops and businesses we see emerge on the UK’s high streets in coming years.”