Albert Road traders face uncertain future - and call on shoppers to support independents

Jenni Catlow, chairwoman of the Albert Road Traders Association and owner of Tango Tea antique shop on the road, says that click and collect services have ‘killed’ the high street - and the problem started before the pandemic.

Referring to a number of high street giants that have gone under recently, she said: ‘It proves that small independent traders prop up the world - and we have always said that.

‘But it’s been tough.

‘You have all these big business that have been doing click and collect for a while.

‘They have killed the high street.

‘Places like Albert Road are about people walking around and browsing.’

And she sees concerns about the pandemic diverting attention from another challenge close at hand - Brexit.

She added: ‘A lot of traders get money from the EU - it’s business support.

‘We have been supported for about five or six years.

‘A lot of people would go if that money is not replaced, a lot of people have said that already. People think this is a golden mile - it isn’t.’

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But others have felt more optimistic, believing that the area’s prime location and reputation for unique businesses will see it overcome the challenges it faces.

Julian Hood, the general manager of Dice board game lounge in Albert Road, said the recent lockdown saw an increase in board game rentals.

He said: ‘We definitely saw an uptick in rentals. I think people have got bored of watching TV.’

And Julian feels optimistic about Albert Road’s future despite its knock from the pandemic: ‘Albert Road as a whole will be fine. We have the combination of population density and really loved venues, precisely because they are not big businesses. A lot of businesses here are a party of the community - there’s that real sense of community.

‘It’s not been great being in lockdown but I see trade returning.’

But the owner of Southsea Style, who asked not to be named, said the first day’s worth of trade after the lockdown had been far from golden – labelling his takings as ‘dreadful’.

He said: ‘It’s been absolutely dreadful.

‘The whole street has been so quiet.

‘After the first lockdown people were very eager to come down.

‘People don’t seem to be browsing.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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