Justin Tomlinson MP with the 'Queen of Shops' Mary Portas
Justin Tomlinson MP today joined retail guru Mary Portas at a meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Group for the Town Centre. The meeting was an opportunity for MPs to feed ideas and experiences from their own constituency town centres to Mary Portas for inclusion in her review on the future of our high streets.
Commissioned by David Cameron and the Deputy Prime Minister, the independent review aims to feed into the Government's broader growth review and is examining the future of town centres and high streets. The 'Queen of Shops' hopes to identify a number of key models that towns and cities could adopt to secure their future.
Speaking at the event, Mary Portas acknowledged the challenge internet shopping and out of town developments has presented the traditional high street. She argued that our town centres would have to be very different place in the future, more like social and community hubs rather than shopping destinations. It is just a case of giving towns ideas and getting best practice models up and running.
Justin Tomlinson MP took the opportunity to raise the example of a local business in Swindon - Bloomfields in Highworth. Justin discussed the fantastic customer service Bloomfields give and the stories they have behind their products and asked if national retailers could replicate this to stay competitive in what is today a crowded market.
Justin Tomlinson MP said "It was fantastic to meet with Mary Portas, the retail guru who has been tasked with identifying how to save the high street up and down the country. I passionately support her emphasis on constructive solutions focusing on customer service and retailers reinventing themselves to exceed the expectations of an ever-changing consumer."