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A boring, boring story

"Coast Ghost" it says in a headline in the Sun today and underneath "Margate worst for boarded-up shops" with a table showing that 37.4 per cent of shops in Margate are empty.

The Local Data Company, which press releases this data every month, really does independent shops no favours with its negative doom-laden coverage of the retail sector. Shops are always opening and closing. Thirty years ago, every high street would have had a TV rental shop. 10 years ago it would have been a video rental shop. Shopping patterns change.

While there is an issue for many high streets, it is often a property development issue rather than a retail quality issue. The problem is that too many people read these stories and think that out-of-town supermarkets are killing local independents.

That is not the story. The story is that local independent shops are doing great. Remember to tell your shoppers about the great products and services that you offer them. Avoid the gloom.
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