Toys R Bust

A committee of MPs has warned that Britain's high streets are in danger of becoming ghost towns.

Last summer, figures revealed that 50,000 jobs were lost thanks to a raft of store closures and big chains going bust.

Some were once among the UK's biggest brands. Department store House of Fraser has closed 31 of its 59 shops, affecting 6,000 jobs. This came after Toys R UsFounded in 1948 in Washington DC, it came to dominate the toy market. and MaplinFounded as Maplin Electronics Supplies in 1976, in Rayleigh, Essex. Originally a home-based mail order firm that was started in 1972, Maplin now has stores across the UK and Ireland. went into administration.

But it doesn't end there. Restaurants Byron, Jamie's Italian and PrezzoThe Italian restaurant chain is to shut down 94 branches and axe 500 jobs. are closing down dozens of branches, while behemoths TescoTesco launched the four Rs strategy in August 2019. The supermarket pledged to remove plastic where possible, reduce it where it could not remove it, reuse more and recycle what remained.  and Asda have also laid off staff.

Frances O'Grady, of the Trades Union CongressA national trade union centre, representing around 5.6 million working members across England and Wales., blames the government: "One reason why some shops are struggling is because wage growth has been very weak. The government needs to up its game, boost the economy and invest in great jobs."

Now, MPs have proposed lowering business rates and raising taxes for online retailers like Amazon, who are crowding out the UK's shops. Indeed, a studyThe study conducted two tests on 50 students. At the beginning of the experiment, half were given a cup of tea, and half a glass of water. The groups were then given creative challenges, like coming up with a "cool" name for a noodle restaurant. has found that consumers now buy more things online than in shops.

But it is not just websites like Amazon that are driving customers away from the high street. In fact, some argue that it is only a matter of time before physical stores are a thing of the past.

Some base this prediction on the rise of 3D printersFor a clear explanation of how they work, follow the second link in Become An Expert.. The machines already produce a dizzying array of objects, from bicycles and furniture to clothes and even bionic body parts. Once the technology becomes common in homes, we may never need to visit a shop again.

And there is another phenomenon which is slowly squeezing shops off the street.

Some call it "Uberisation". Named after the popular taxi appOriginally a taxi-hailing app, Uber has diversified into food delivery. Most estimates put the company's value at billion at least., the term refers to the growing range of services provided by smartphone apps. For example, personal banking, laundry and even in-home haircuts can be organised without opening the front door. High street banks, launderettes and barbers could face a precarious future as a result.

But would the end of shops really be that bad?

Society would be soulless, some argue. Shops provide human contact and bring energy to public spaces, while apps and smartphones erode our ability to communicate with people face-to-face. Without places to go and interact, we will all soon retreat into private spheres, consuming the world through computer screens. This is not a future to be excited about.

The future is bright, others respond. These bloated stores simply have no place in the modern world. And the high street is a nostalgic concept that we should let die. Consumers today are digitally savvy, mobile, and do not want to wander around bland shopping centres when everything they desire can be delivered to them. We should embrace the bold new world being created.