Traders in Britain's most easterly town have urged locals to look at the "changing, evolving" face of the high street - as figures show more than a quarter of shops are empty.
After an East Suffolk Council report showed Lowestoft's retail unit vacancy rate is the highest in the district, businesses have called on people to "use it or lose it" - by "easing off" the online purchases to instead "start shopping in town".
With East Suffolk's strategic planning committee discussing the council’s authority monitoring report for 2022/23 in January, a retail and town centre survey - carried out in April and May last year - found that 26 per cent of shops in Lowestoft were vacant.
The figures are almost double the national vacancy rate of 13.9pc and is equivalent to 96 empty shops out of 366 - its worst rate in the past five years.
Despite the figures, business leaders, council chiefs and Waveney MP Peter Aldous have highlighted numerous "positive" moves being made to address the challenges - with some of the empty units having already been filled since the survey was carried out.
Last week East Suffolk councillors voted unanimously in favour of two schemes for the Grade II listed former Post Office in Lowestoft town centre.
With the building, owned by East Suffolk, having been empty since 2018, it will be transformed into a gallery, six new artist studios, classroom space and a new café as part of a £4.8m scheme to help kickstart regeneration in the town centre.
Plans for a major regeneration project - as part of a programme to reinvigorate the town centre - have also been lodged with the council.
A £24.3m scheme will see the redevelopment of East Suffolk's current Customer Services Centre and the former Battery Green multi-storey car park - with a new restaurant built along with a new community hub complete with café, civic square, pop up bars and competitive leisure uses.
And the three largest empty buildings in the town centre - the former Palmers, Beales/Westgate department stores and Tesco - are all "progressing" with a "national sports firm" earmarked for Palmers.
BUSINESS REACTION
The popular Annatar gift shop on London Road North has been co-owned by Matt Wade with his wife Jenny for about 10 years, while the shop has been running for 28 years after being established in 1996.
Mr Wade said: "Trade is good.
"There was a slight slump directly after Christmas, but there always is.
"Footfall is healthy.
"There's not really a lot that can be done for the empty shops.
"The face of the high street is changing, evolving, and we as retailers need to change with it.
"The only way shops will reopen is if people start easing off on Amazon purchases and start shopping in town.
"Folk always think that online is cheaper, but that's not always the case.
"And I know it's clichéd, but I really think that Primark is losing a lot of business because they refuse to open a store with only a 180° catchment area."
Matt Goddard, managing director of Picture Studios on London Road North in Lowestoft town centre, said the business "is still going strong" as it approaches 19 years of trading in October.
Mr Goddard, who founded the business in 2005, said: "Trade since Christmas has been very busy for us - January we were on average, we had a record February and March is also on target to be our best March since opening too.
"I feel people are always too quick to knock Lowestoft.
"Anyone who walks around with a negative mindset will see things negatively.
"Walk through the town positively and you will see a hive of activity at the old Palmers building with the renovations taking place, various planning permissions for redevelopments on other buildings and our neighbours, the old Tesco, has also now started with the redevelopment plans.
"Shopping habits have certainly changed in the 18 years I have been in business, everyone knows the internet and retail parks have taken people away from town centres, this isn’t just a Lowestoft thing its national and it won’t be going back.
"We need a new look at town centres - towns are evolving but it takes time.
"We need to encourage more location, appointment-based businesses into the town, such as one of these large gym groups and things like medical centres, dentists.
"Things could be brighter still, but we need to push forward with positive steps and embrace change."
For Toy Joy Oasis, a new venture began just before Christmas.
Having been situated at the top end of London Road North in Lowestoft town centre since since March 2020, the independent family-run business moved the popular toy shop to Station Square in November.
Sharon Cleary, owner of Toy Joy Oasis in Lowestoft, said: "Footfall has started to pick up again since Christmas and it is getting more positive.
"Our first Christmas here was fine, and as it is a bigger shop we do offer a lot more now - with lots of gift ideas, souvenirs, jokes and novelty items alongside the new toys.
"We have noticed the difference being here."
The family-run Phoenix Farrago - a.k.a. PHX - opened a new store in Lowestoft town centre before Christmas.
After taking over the former Jessops store, that had been vacant for many years on London Road North, they sell a wide range of board games, card games, action figures, Warhammer, Lego and much more.
Bev Ross, one of the joint owners of PHX, said: "We opened in November and people have been very good to us.
"But it goes without saying, if you don't use it, you lose it.
"We had a good Christmas, it was wonderful seeing all the local people coming in, but shops are feast or famine - and we are in the famine stage at the moment.
"However, we have Easter and our first summer season ahead.
"It is important to remember that if you see something in the shop you can have it now - instead of using the internet."
It is all about being positive and where we are situated here it is quite pleasant with one empty shop nearby that should soon be back in use."
TRANSFORMATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS
With East Suffolk Council having already begun taking steps to address these challenges and increase footfall, a council spokesman said: "Although town centre vacancy rates are an important indicator of local economic and retail health, they should be considered within the context of the general economic and cultural shift away from communities wanting their centres to be mainly for meeting retail needs, to wanting them to offer a more holistic social, leisure and entertainment experience, and opting to meet some or most of their retail needs online instead.
"The defined town centre area for Lowestoft is set out in the Waveney Local Plan, adopted in 2019, and more recent societal changes have taken place since that time.
"The Lowestoft Towns Deal programme, delivered by East Suffolk Council and partners, is addressing these challenges head on by introducing transformational developments to the town centre which will hugely broaden the high street’s appeal."
These major investments "aim to significantly increase footfall in the town centre" with the Town Centre Masterplan, adopted in 2020, identifying "regeneration proposals."
Some of these are already progressing - including the former post office transformation, plans being lodged for the Cultural Quarter project for the Marina area, works to the shopfronts in Station Square funded through the High Street Heritage Actions Zones programme and "private sector funded works" that are under way at the former Palmers department store building.
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