High street hits end of the road

With the recent bankruptcy of Toys R Us and Maplin leaving around 5,700 jobs at risk, as well as Prezzo closing 100 restaurants and Homebase looking to shut around 40 stores, can things get any worse on the high street (Mirror, March 1)?

This, coupled with threats to New Look, Debenhams, House of Fraser and Mothercare, is a terrible time for retail in this country.

But the Tories continue to say unemployment is coming down and things are looking up in the jobs market.

I’d like to know exactly how those people facing redundancy are going to find decent, properly paid jobs? Brian Scully, Wigan I’m sorry to say the high street shopping experience is slowly dying. Maplin and Toys R Us are the latest casualties, following Woolworths, BHS, Comet and so on. I have to question the overall economics of the online shopping revolution and wonder if a tax equivalent to the costs associated with running retail outfits could be levied on the large web-based retailers in order to level the playing field? I, for one, am not looking forward to town centres with only pubs, restaurants and fast-food outlets. Terry Marriott Waterlooville Hants The way to get people back into towns and cities is to stop the big supermarkets building large out-of-town stores. Secondly, there must be free parking for all. And another solution would be to halve business rates – this would give small concerns a chance to survive and make our towns profitable once again. Bob Jolley, Louth, Lincs The main advantage high street shops have is enabling customers to inspect goods and ask questions. But many businesses have thrown that away to save on stock holding and staff wages. The situation has not been helped by councils ramping up parking charges. Too many people in head offices, along with council bosses, think it’s their job to direct the public’s behaviour, instead of catering for it – a lesson which Aldi and Lidl seem to have taken more notice of. John Shale, Wigan I had to leave the high street as rents were ludicrous. My shop has now been open for seven years.

My landlord has been fantastic and we are working together to ensure success. Thank goodness for the wonderful customers I have. Jane Watson, address supplied Woolworths, Borders, Comet, Blockbusters, BHS, Warren Evans – and now Toys R Us and Maplin are facing closure with the threat of more employment losses.

Where are the job gains that the Tories boast about? Albert Beckett Oswaldtwistle, Lancs It’s predicted that 20,000 shops will shut in the next two years, with up to 200,000 workers axed. On top of this, we are faced with a government which can’t sort out Brexit. Where are all the new jobs going to come from? Or has Mrs May got a magic wand to go with her magic money tree? This country will be a wilderness after the Tories have cut everything to the bone. And following Brexit there’ll be nothing left. Dave Mellor, Warrington