Mary Portas wins support

Independent optician support group Sight Care has backed a call on the coalition government from retail guru Mary Portas to adopt clear policies and ‘joined up thinking’ to save Britain’s high streets.

In an article published in The London Evening Standard, Portas questioned the government’s current stance of having high street-focused policies while signing off out-of-town retail developments.

‘We need to invent new ways to bring people back to the high street,’ said Sight Care’s chief executive Paul Surridge. ‘Good practice examples can be seen in towns like Winchester and Bath, where traditional retailers work alongside market traders on themed days and where street entertainment is the norm.’