Shuttered shops: Do NI high streets have future?

Jonathan Budhram: The future at the moment appears bleak. By the time this virus clears up there will be no shops left. It will take years for the economy to recover and for things to more or less pick up again. By that time many businesses will have gone the same way as poor Easons. Many companies are only just about staying afloat due to increased online sales. Online shopping is okay but no way substitutes the joy from browsing in real life shops and high streets.

Andrew Cee: Of course they do but they need to change and adapt. Victoria Square moved the focus of shopping away from Royal Avenue and Donegall Place. All those units in Royal Avenue would be better used as office space or apartments.

Cat Ferguson: We can order everything online and quite a lot can work from home. Sure we don’t even need to leave our front doors unless we really need/want to. We’re all going to end up like the humans on Wall. e fat, antisocial and no clue there’s a world outside.

Jason Turner: Not much point when everything is cheaper online with no queuing or face masks and free parking no traffic jams. I’m afraid lockdown did its job a little too well and habits have changed.

Stephen Bennett: The town centres throughout the land are going to shrink and change.

Ciaran O’neill: Of course not I can’t remember the last time I went shopping on the high street. Why bother when you can get everything online for so much cheaper and next day delivery? Soon the high street will only be restaurants and cafes and even they will experience a decline with more people home working and food delivery services.

Brian Hetherington: Bank loans for businesses will be more expensive as the self serving banks up the interest rates. People will continue to shop online instead of supporting local commerce. Councils will still charge a fortune for business rates. Landlords will allow buildings to sit empty for years sooner than drop rent and shorten leases. Parking will still be a nightmare to find and cost a fortune not to mention the bus lanes. Welcome to the planned financial recession where the rich will get richer hiding behind the pandemic.