Hub at heart of designing a fresh high street
kim.horton@reachplc.com
THE future of the high street will be shaped on the top floor of a city shopping centre after the opening of a a groundbreaking initiative.
The UK Digital Retail Innovation Centre (UK:DRIC) was officially opened by Margot James MP, the Minister for Digital and the Creative Industries, and Dr Diane Savory who chairs local enterprise partnership Gfirst.
The centre is based on the second floor of The Eastgate shopping centre.
It is designed as the national hub for testing and developing digital innovations.
Providing an innovative supportive environment for retail start-ups and digital retail partners, it aims to provide a better understanding of customers in the changing environment and to help national retailers looking for examples of future high street solutions.
he high street shops and businesses. The aim is to help businesses across towns and cities in a bid to help them flourish and compete with the leading online shopping stores and websites. UK: DRIC director Emily Knight said: “The high street is changing. “At the moment people go out for an experience, such as the Tall Ships Festival and not to do their shopping. “When they go to the high street for this reason, we want them to stay there and they buy.” She continued: “As UK:DRIC and Marketing Gloucester are working on these projects developing, we hope to rejuvenate the high street. “It will be a gradual change and evolution. “With UK:DRIC we are testing out what works.
“If we see something that is working and of benefit to the high street then we will roll it out.” Among the speakers at the launch was Oliver Banks , who hosts the Retail Transformation Show podcast.
He spoke about what what can be done to help businesses to engage with customers and how to continue to evolve in the digital age.
Jason Smith, chief executive of Marketing Gloucester, said: “The launch has been excellent. It is fantastic that people have travelled to see how this will work and to assist in place making.
“The Local Enterprise Partnership and Marketing Gloucester are trying to make Gloucester the centre of innovation on the high street.
“It has been set up in Gloucester as it is recognised that the city is successful to set up these solutions.”
The UK:DRIC hub includes working space, a conference area and rooms for hire.
In 2010, 20 per cent of shops in Gloucester were closed but the city is now in line with the national average of around 12 per cent of shops closing.