Tracking the 'Till' trends
Lake District communities actually get a better shopping deal because of the area’s vast number of visitors, according to a survey.
Local people benefit from a higher than average number of retail outlets and although there are shortfalls in basic non-food essentials, shops stay in business because of tourist demand.
The findings are the result of a study commissioned by the Lake District National Park to gauge shopping patterns.
Central areas of Bowness, Windermere, Ambleside, Grasmere, Hawkshead, Coniston and Keswick came under the microscope to help planners assess shopping spaces.
Policy planner, Carissa Lough, explained it was a well-known fact that retail in the Lake District was not normal.
She said: “The perception among locals is there is little selection. But, given the size of our towns and villages, there are a lot more shops than you would expect compared to other similar sized places.”
“There’s also a high percentage of independently owned businesses, offering high quality service.”
Carissa said LDNP wanted to find out if the visitor economy had adversely affected shopping for residents, or improved it.
She explained: “It seems to be the latter. Of course, there are exceptions, but overall centres are larger and stronger as a result of visitors.
“However, we accept the Lake District doesn’t follow usual retail patterns and is different from what’s on offer in other rural locations, or even larger settlements.
“As well as trying to gauge the levels of retail provision, we wanted to know the issues for local people. For instance, how far do they need to travel to buy basic merchandise?”
“It’s been a worthwhile exercise on many fronts, particularly as we’ve discovered all the centres appear to be doing well, despite the recession.”
“Interestingly, shop windows are probably as full as they were 100 years ago. This is certainly not the case in many of England’s small towns and villages.”
Around 60 commercial operators and residents were interviewed. People were asked where they went for specific items, about shortfalls, whether there are enough shops and if opening hours are sufficient.
Carissa added: “The results are already helping us formulate policies. They have painted a clear picture of shopping patterns in key national park areas and highlighted key issues.”
