The experience economy in UK city centres: A multidimensional and interconnected response to the ‘death of the high street’?

Since the 1990s the UK’s city centre high streets have been losing market share to out-of-town shopping and e-retailing. The shocks of the Global Financial Crisis and COVID-19 have hastened this and precipitated widespread store closures. The experience economy is increasingly promoted as a means to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Urban studies (Edinburgh, Scotland) Scotland), 2023-08, Vol.60 (10), p.1833-1852
Main Authors: White, James T, Hickie, James, Orr, Allison, Jackson, Cath, Richardson, Robert
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Case studies
Cities
City centres
COVID-19
Death & dying
Department stores
Economic crisis
Economics
Empirical analysis
Entertainment
Experience
Innovations
International finance
Leisure
Market shares
Responses
Retail industry
Retail stores
Retailing
Shopping
Shopping centers
Shopping centres
Streets
Trade
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Summary:Since the 1990s the UK’s city centre high streets have been losing market share to out-of-town shopping and e-retailing. The shocks of the Global Financial Crisis and COVID-19 have hastened this and precipitated widespread store closures. The experience economy is increasingly promoted as a means to avert the ‘death of the high street’, and this prompts our study of its evolution. An exploration of the literature reveals the experience economy to be an interconnected phenomenon focused on the creation of a memorable event that elicits a sensory response via multi-dimensional innovation and design. Using this to guide our empirical work, we undertake a comparative mixed method longitudinal case study of five UK city centres. We initially chart the changing manifestations of experience uses before analysing supporting interviews and observations that reveal three interconnected layers of the experience economy: in-store commercial experiences; leisure and entertainment-orientated adaptations to shopping centres and department stores; and the wider regeneration of the public realm. Implications for city centre management are discussed.
ISSN:0042-0980
1360-063X
DOI:10.1177/00420980221143043