00:00With some prominent High Street units still vacant, as well as the amounts of stores such
00:07as River Island and Poundland struggling nationally, alongside the temporary closure of H&M for
00:12refurbishment, we went to Commercial Road to get shoppers forts on the state of the High Street.
00:16So obviously we've seen quite a few shops closing in Commercial
00:21Roads. What's your thoughts on the state of the High Street?
00:24Not good. I know they're trying to build a uni block or something but it just looks like a, you know,
00:34they're demolishing slowly and it just looks ugly. So there's a lot of space that is not used and it
00:41could be used to bring more jobs, more money. It's pointless for me.
00:46Yeah. Do you prefer shopping in person or do you shop online as well?
00:49Personal, definitely.
00:50Yeah?
00:51Yeah.
00:51Perfect. Hopefully some more clothing shops and things like that.
00:54Absolutely, yeah.
00:56So yeah, obviously there's quite a few vacant shops around and there's obviously been some
01:00news about some other high street chains struggling such as River Island. I mean,
01:04what's your thoughts on Commercial Road? Do you come here often?
01:06Yeah, I've been here since I was a young kid. When Woolies and Woolworths and CNA were here.
01:12All the shops down there are Devons and Olders but now it's all gone.
01:15Do you still come down here as much or?
01:18Not as much as I used to.
01:19Yeah. Do you do a lot of your shopping online or do you prefer it in person?
01:23Just go and shop down here but not as much as I used to.
01:27Yeah. Okay, okay. What sort of shops would you like to see? Would you like to see those
01:30old ones return or is there new ones that you'd prefer to see here?
01:33Um, probably Woolworths. That's a good shop.
01:36Yeah.
01:36Okay. Okay, yeah. Oh, yes, it's closed up there.
01:40Do you think there still is a future for the high street? Do you think those sort of days will return?
01:44Um, hopefully, yeah. Hopefully they get some more shops down the side of it.
01:48Yeah.
01:48Because then people will come back.
01:50Yeah, so you think it's more the shops that need to come first before the people come back?
01:53Yeah.
01:54Okay. So, obviously, there's a few vacant shops. We've got the old Debenhams here.
01:58Um, H&M's now going to be closing for a few months.
02:00Oh my gosh, I didn't know that.
02:01Yeah. And, um, since River Island's in trouble. So, what's your kind of thoughts on the high street?
02:07Do you come down here often?
02:08Well, there used to be loads of shops down here when I was younger, but as you've just said,
02:12I think, as time's going on, a lot of the shops are closing, which is really sad. I don't go to
02:16M&S at H&M all the time. I didn't know it was closing. So, yeah, um, it's just a shame, really.
02:22Yeah.
02:22I'm not too sure why they're closing. Um, and yeah, I think as time's gone on, it's got a bit,
02:26it's a bit dirtier here as well.
02:28Yeah. Do you think the state of the high street's not kind of what you want it to be?
02:30No.
02:31Do you, um, do a lot of shopping online, or do you prefer shopping in person?
02:34I prefer shopping in person, but I always go to West Quay instead, because there's nothing here.
02:37Oh, really?
02:38If they've had a Zara here, I'd be here all the time.
02:39Oh, okay. So Zara.
02:40Bring a Zara to Portsmouth.
02:42There we go.
02:43We'll make them a lot of money.
02:44Yeah. Okay. What else do you kind of, what other sort of shops do you go for? West Quay,
02:47why prefer is there?
02:47Oh, West Quay, so obviously the Zara, that, yeah.
02:50I think they have a Mango there as well.
02:52Right.
02:52Mango would be really good here. River Island, but we've got River Island here.
02:55But I find all the clothes in West Quay are just a bit nicer, because it's all,
02:58yeah, not as nice clothes there.
02:59Is it, again, is it mainly kind of the state of the high street in terms of the cleanliness and
03:02things like that?
03:02Yeah, I think West Quay just looks nicer. Here it's a bit, yeah, just a bit dirty. It doesn't
03:07look as nice. It's not kept as nice as West Quay. So, yeah, I think the aesthetic of somewhere
03:14is really important, you know.
03:15Yeah, yeah, absolutely, absolutely. But do you still come down here quite a lot, or not really?
03:20I do more now, because I have Fridays off watch, so yeah, I do try and come down here when I can,
03:25you know, to go to Boots, and we're going on holiday soon to, so maybe just looking at a couple,
03:29you know, bits like I've got, but I do try to avoid it, obviously.
03:33Okay, fair enough, fair enough.
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