Why the narrative on UK's high streets must change, says number crunching data analyst high street champion

We hear from number-crunching data analyst Laura Harris, champion of the high street and founder of HighStreetPositives.

Here is what Laura has to say about the genesis of HighStreetPositives and how she joins the dots between public perception and investment into high streets around the country.

When I started HighStreetPositives, I wasn’t setting out to launch a big initiative. I just wanted to share good news.

I kept hearing about the idea of the so-called “death of the high street” and the more it was repeated, the more it felt like a self-fulfilling prophecy.

But as I shared positive stories, it became clear just how much this issue mattered to people.

My mum put it perfectly when she told me she didn’t want to go to the high street anymore because of all the negativity she’d read.

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And that’s the problem.

A constant stream of bad news shapes how people feel about their local high street, which in turn affects how often they visit.

But it doesn’t stop there.

This same perception influences the businesses and investors making decisions about where to open, expand or put their money.

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A survey I ran with Find Out Now which garnered over 54,000 responses confirmed what I was seeing - negative media coverage directly affects how often people visit their local high street.

The more people hear about high streets struggling, the less likely they are to shop there.

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And if footfall drops, businesses become even more hesitant to invest, reinforcing the cycle of decline.

At the end of the day, boardrooms are made up of people; while their decisions are driven by commercial realities, they’re also influenced by the narratives they see in the media.

If they’re constantly hearing about decline, why would they choose to invest?

That’s exactly why HighStreetPositives exists, to challenge this perception and highlight the real stories of growth, resilience and creativity.

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Once I started sharing good news, my LinkedIn feed became a much more optimistic place. Major retailers were opening new stores, independents were thriving and exciting new initiatives were happening in towns across the UK and Ireland.

These stories weren’t getting the same airtime in mainstream media, but they were out there.

I kept posting and the response was incredible.

People were engaging, commenting and sharing. Soon I was receiving more good news stories than I could keep up with.

So, I started a couple of newsletters.

The LinkedIn Digest version gained over 1,000 subscribers in less than 12 hours.

That’s when I knew that people were hungry for a different narrative about the high street.

It wasn’t just retailers who were interested. I started hearing from people who worked across the whole of the high street, such as landlords, councils, BIDs, business owners and even the NHS.

The message was clear: people want to see and share positive stories.

HighStreetPositives exists to counterbalance the overwhelming doom and gloom.

We want to shift perceptions, champion resilience, creativity and potential of our high streets. When people feel positive about a place, they visit more.

That footfall drives investment, supports local businesses and creates the kind of lively, welcoming spaces that people want to be part of.

The benefits are huge.

A thriving high street isn’t just about shopping, it’s about community.

It’s a place to connect, preventing loneliness and isolation.

It’s a source of pride, belonging and local identity.

When we invest in our high streets, we invest in something much bigger.

HighStreetPositives is here to make sure the story of our high streets isn’t just one of decline - it’s one of transformation, ambition and success.

More about Laura Harris from HighStreetPositives

Laura is a freelance data and location analyst with a background in working with retailers, hospitality brands and high street projects.

She is founder of HighStreetPositives, a platform focused on highlighting success stories and driving positive change for town centres. She continues to work hard on growing this initiative and shifting the narrative around the high street.

For more information about Laura and HighStreetPositives click here. highstreetpositives.beehiiv.com