Are we ready for another RECESSION?

COVID-19 has given us much to mourn, but the death of the high street and loss of thousands of jobs suggest a bleak future

- EMMA ROSSITER

There was a time the high street was the heart and soul of any town – always abuzz with people working, shopping and socialising. But now, shutters are down, windows are boarded and ‘For Sale’ signs hang in abundance.

It’s not a real shock. The high street has been struggling for years, thanks to high rents and online shopping, with the shock collapse of Woolworths in 2008 being the first hint times were changing. But the pandemic, lockdown and subsequent economy nose-dive have accelerated the decline, and as we hurtle toward a recession, the high street has become unrecognisable. Experts predict mass redundancies. Many people have already lost their jobs, while 9.5 million remain on furlough, unsure when – and if – they’ll ever return.

High-street heavyweights Debenhams, Marks & Spencer, John Lewis and Boots have all announced store closures and job cuts, while 500,000 small, independent businesses could be forced to shut, too. And with UK job-centre claimants rising 126% to 2.8 million since the start of lockdown, it’s a worrying time for everyone. Woman investigates.

‘I WAS MADE REDUNDANT ON THE SPOT’

Alex Cooke, 44, lives in Shipley, Yorkshire, with her daughter, Ruby, 15.

I never regretted my choice to forgo university and go into retail at 18. After a management training course, I worked at House of Fraser as a fashion manager and loved everything about it. It was the hub of the high street, and I enjoyed working in fashion, seeing new products come in and getting to know the locals.

The hours were long, so when I had Ruby in November 2004, I retrained as a college tutor so I could be around more. By the time I went back to the high street, getting a job as a store trainer at Debenhams in 2016, things had changed.