Arcadia boss Sir Philip Green knows how to save the British high street. The Topshop supremo was speaking at the graduation ceremony of the Fashion Retail Academy, and addressed the pressing issue of crippling business rates, which small independent businesses are struggling to pay.
He explained, “there needs to be a give for small shops. Most of these people shouldn’t be paying any rates. When [the government] are trying to reinvent these small shops, they should help them. No one can afford to trade in those shops.”
And we get it. While we love online shopping and wouldn’t be without it, we do see the importance of a healthy, vibrant high street filled with independent, national, and international businesses. It is that mix of shopping opportunities that keeps us and the rest of the world coming to the U.K. to experience it? Let’s hope the government is listening. (Vogue)
Photo: Via Vogue