00:00Birmingham doesn't lack options when it comes to shopping.
00:04Huge centres like the bullring pulling crowds,
00:07but there are also arcades, markets and independent shops
00:11took into every corner of the city.
00:13But not every area is thriving.
00:15As rents climb and more shops shut down,
00:18shoppers are making tougher choices,
00:20not just about what they buy, but where they buy it.
00:23And it's not always the flashy storefronts or big brands that win out.
00:27Sometimes it's the places that feel like they've still got character
00:30or simply still exist.
00:36I mean, I've lived here for like all my life.
00:39So I always come to boring.
00:41I always like pop into the shops and stuff.
00:44I think it's just because it's so convenient.
00:47I mean, you've pretty much got everything that you could possibly want.
00:50So I think that really helps with coming back and stuff.
00:54I shop the most in Selfridges.
00:58It's so real, yeah.
00:59Really?
01:00Not necessarily buy anything from there, but like have a browse in there.
01:03Yeah.
01:04Mine's just any clothes shops.
01:06Just because I like clothes.
01:10I go to the city centre because it allows a very good amount of selection to pick from.
01:17I'm going to the city centre and today I'm going to buy a pair of shoes.
01:21This area because it's convenient to the station.
01:25Morely, Selfridges head towards there because there's the variety.
01:29You should go to the food court first because there's a nicer section there.
01:33What actually makes a good shopping area stand out?
01:37It's not just the stock on the shelves.
01:39It's the atmosphere, the people, the sense of place.
01:42Is it clean?
01:43Is it safe?
01:44Is it somewhere you take your nan or your kids?
01:46Or do you just rush in and out with your guard up?
01:49These are the basics you'd hope for anywhere, but not every area in Birmingham delivers.
01:54Some feel tired, empty or overlooked.
01:57And when that happens, people stop turning up.
01:59We ask shoppers what they think the city's retail spices are missing
02:03and what would genuinely make them better.
02:06I'd say probably sometimes a bit more variety out here
02:09because a lot of the stuff is all in the ball ring,
02:11whereas down the new street and around Grand Central
02:14probably could be a bit more variety than the same shops you can see everywhere.
02:18I think more youth spaces.
02:21I think there's a lot of youth in Birmingham
02:25and sometimes we get a lot of bad press
02:29because there's a lot of different things that can happen.
02:32But I think if there was more like communal spaces
02:35where young people can go and, you know, chill out
02:37and just have safe spaces for young people,
02:39I think that would really help.
02:41Just like the morale of the spirit at Birmingham,
02:44I think that would really help.
02:46Yeah, I think that's quite a good answer actually.
02:49I wouldn't know how to answer that.
02:51I don't know if I'd be able to answer that one
02:53because I don't potentially know it well enough.
02:56It's got everything I need.
02:58Nice to know these.
02:59Yeah.
03:00Nice to know these.
03:01Yeah.
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