alt Hacker NewsTo add to the headline I would say hairdressers/barbers and bad takeaways could also be added to the list.
What shops would you suggest could be added? Most people are buying larger items and clothes online or in chain retail park stores.
My small town has multiples of all of these but also many nice cafes/bars/restaurants and a butchers, bakers, a small market and fruit and veg, a couple of diy/hobby shops as well as 3 supermarkets, a library etc. There are even a couple of clothes stores and some pound shop type places.
I can't really see much of a change coming here or how it could be much better. Our 2 nearest city centres have a bit more variety but of course are mainly chain stores. People go out for an experience rather than shopping and this had already started well before covid hit.
EDIT: Interesting they chose Rotherham as an example, of course if they'd chosen Harrogate, Oxford, Durham, Bath etc the story would have been quite a bit different...
Yes, there's specific nuances to Rotherham that I think it underplays. Severe and worsening deprivation since industry closed down in the 80s, and it's turning slowly in to a satellite area of Sheffield. Infact, Sheffield put a lot of energy in the 90s and 00s in to blocking major reconstruction efforts, there's a reason the IKEA ended up not being built in Rotherham (where it would have been much cheaper).
Also, right behind where that header photo was taken, is a GOOD example of attempts to regenerate the high street.
But the causes are much longer reaching than anything this points to – it's been in decline in Rotherham since probably the 1970s.
The broad strokes are true in general, though.