Tue, 6 Mar 2012 Taro Naw

Tonight, on Taro Naw, we can reveal how much money...

..has been spent on regenerating town centres in Wales.

The golden age has gone for hundreds of high street stores.

But will millions of pounds save them, or is it already too late?

Our society centres around the high street.

If people stop going shopping, they stop communicating...

..and what do we have then?

We have a castle, a dock, an excellent town centre...

..but on their own they're not enough.

We need more attractions and events.

No matter how many attractions you have, you need to sell it.

Subtitles

Caernarfon is one of many towns across Wales...

..where the high street faces a difficult time.

It's a challenge.

20% of the units in Wales are empty...

..and, in some towns, the situation is worse than that.

Online shopping, supermarkets and the economy...

..all contribute to the problem.

What is the future of the high street?

Empty windows, closed doors.

Caernarfon is among the five worst town in Wales...

..in terms of empty shops.

Three shops belonging to one businessman...

..have closed in Y Maes - an iconic centre for shoppers and tourists.

19% of units here, almost double the national average, are empty...

..and the number is rising.

Ioan Thomas is the mayor and a town and county councillor.

He and his fellow councillors are concerned about the deterioration.

To help, regeneration plans were put forward to invest millions pounds...

..in protecting the history and safeguarding the future.

Ioan Thomas is also a businessman who owns a cafe and a nightclub.

He admits that things are quieter these days...

..but argues that it's not a problem in Caernarfon alone.

There is a high turnover of shops.

I don't think there's a long list of people...

..waiting to invest in the town.

But Caernarfon isn't unlike other towns.

I'm sure many towns are worse off.

I'm originally from Llanelli...

..and the situation there isn't good.

I'd say Llanelli is much worse off than Caernarfon.

Having invested in the town, he's obviously looking to the future.

He's keen to emphasise the positives...

..highlighting a three-year council scheme...

..to bring shoppers and officials together...

..to tackle the effects of the recession.

Caernarfon has a big advantage and excellent resources.

Its history and its castle.

Hundreds of thousands of people visit every year.

We're looking at a World Heritage Site.

We are in the same bracket as the Taj Mahal and other places.

We are attracting tourists and we should do a lot better.

There is potential for local people and visitors.

In Y Maes is the Silver Stars Holidays company.

The company went into administration last year...

..but Gavin Owen and 12 members of staff have kept their jobs.

He watches what's happening carefully...

..and contributed by organising a Christmas Fair last year.

He says it's the way forward.

The intentions of the Chamber of Commerce are good...

..but we need more young people with the experience...

..and qualifications to help organise these things.

While he's willing to work hard, he says more needs to be done.

He thinks the answer is professional advice...

..and a full time manager for the town.

We need a person or a team of people who are dedicated...

..whether they work for the council or not...

..developing and selling the town.

We've got a castle, a dock, an excellent town centre...

..but on their own they're not enough.

We need more attractions and events.

No matter how many attractions you have, you need to sell it.

We need someone to manage and sell the town to attract people here.

Eirian James owns the Palace Print book shop.

She faces a challenge from companies like Amazon and the supermarkets...

..where books are sold at competitive prices.

Her policy is to put the customer first and to organise events.

It's hard work and sharing the burden is important.

It's nice to have other people help organise things.

I think that the way forward is people doing what they can...

..contributing what they can, in terms of time and resources...

..and moving forward together.

Eirian moved from Cardiff to Caernarfon 10 years ago.

She is delighted that the shop has done better than expected...

..but emphasises that attracting local people is what's important.

She makes sure there's plenty of choice for them.

I think we're very lucky that we're on Palace Street...

..in Caernarfon, where there is a good mix...

..of small, independent shops which support each other...

..and complement each other.

But shopping trends are changing and fewer people are going out shopping.

More people are shopping online.

In a recent survey...

..more than 50% said they will spend more online in future.

We've invested a little in online shopping...

..so we can sell online.

But we've got to keep organising events in the shop...

..which draw people in.

The customers will determine the fate of the high street.

It's a pity. I've been brought up here.

I remember Woolworths and other little shops.

It's a pity.

It's a sad sight, to be honest. The shops are doing their best...

..but they don't get the support from the council.

The big shops are killing them.

I prefer Caernarfon to Porthmadog because there's a New Look.

I think it's better, to be honest.

It's an historic town.

We've got the Roman fort. There's plenty of history here.

Maybe Caernarfon isn't sold the way we'd like it to be.

It is a romantic Valentine's Day wedding at the Celtic Royal Hotel.

The young couple live locally and tried to support local shops...

..but they didn't get much luck.

How much of your dress did you buy in Caernarfon?

None. None at all.

Why?

There's nothing here.

Nothing aimed at weddings at all.

Do you always do that? Do you shop in Bangor?

I always go to Bangor.

You never go to Caernarfon. How about you, William?

Emma does my shopping for me.

No. I've been looking for grey shoes for the wedding...

..and I couldn't find them in Caernarfon. I went to Bangor.

We'll travel from Caernarfon to another town in North Wales...

..after the break with a successful businesswoman...

..who'll assess the mistakes and the successes of the high street.

One of Carmarthen's most successful independent shops is Pethau Bychain.

The owner is Marian Ritson, originally from Caernarfon.

She ventured into business after a career in education.

She has a definite view on the future of the high street.

If you don't attract customers...

..nothing gets sold and there is no turnover.

There's no doubt that the high street has to adapt.

It has to change, the shops have to change...

..the way they sell and respond to customers.

We have to offer something which makes it worthwhile...

..for people to leave their homes, not shop online...

..because they'll have a different experience.

We took the businesswoman from Carmarthen to Caernarfon...

..to hear her response to the situation there.

They need trees and greenery and a lot more spirit.

What about the number of people?

It's half term. It should be very busy.

But there are very few people here.

There aren't many shops here to attract people.

Somebody needs to take the marketing of Caernarfon...

..seriously.

After her visit to the town...

..we discussed the situation over a cup of tea.

She injured her leg recently in an accident.

What were her views on Caernarfon?

I was disappointed by the square.

It needs a lot of urgent attention.

There are three empty shops which look very run down.

I saw one shop with too much stock. It was spilling on to the pavement.

That needs to be sorted out.

I walked down Palace Street and there were attractive new shops.

I was disappointed there weren't shops like that on the square...

..which would attract people.

It's important and the money is there.

The image of the shop has to be welcoming...

..and of the highest standard.

There are historic remains and efforts to modernise everywhere.

One local group has bought 19 shops and attracted tenants.

But many people believe change is inevitable.

The main reason is that the retail areas - the shops...

..have become too big, and they need to be restricted.

The other problem is that town centres...

..are very quiet in the evenings.

Years ago, in Caernarfon, the owners lived above the shops.

They have now moved out to nearby villages...

..and the first and second floors of some shops are not used.

We need to make better use of the buildings...

..to energise the town centre.

Problems like these have been causing concern...

..for the Welsh Government for many years.

Between government spending and European funding...

..we can reveal that almost £300 million has been spent...

..on regenerating towns in Wales over the last five years.

The Assembly Member for Arfon, Alun Ffred Jones...

..was on a committee that published a report...

..on town centre regeneration.

It emphasises that town centres are vital to the economy...

..and the recommendations include better marketing...

..and flexible hours.

The shopping areas in some cities and towns have become far too big.

You won't fill all those shops.

The problem is that the shops fill up with tat, to be honest.

It doesn't attract people.

For example, the high street in Bangor...

..is one of the longest in Wales, if not Britain.

Is it reasonable to fill it with shops...

..or should you turn some of it into homes?

The report also says we need to turn the empty units...

..above shops into homes...

..because if people live in town centres they'll buy goods there.

A big challenge for high streets is out-of-town supermarkets.

They can no be seen across Wales.

People can do their shopping in one same place.

The report calls for better planning and more research.

There is no doubt that the failure of the Planning Act...

..to control supermarkets has been tragedy.

They are built before you realise it.

To be fair, supermarkets aren't all bad.

There's a wide range of choice...

..you wouldn't get in small towns or villages.

There are advantages, but we've put them in the wrong places...

..and we've allowed too many of them.

That's a big weakness in the Planning Act.

In Britain, and America in particular...

..the idea is to allow big businesses to do what they like.

Research by Taro Naw shows that local authorities in Wales...

..are considering 29 planning applications...

..for out-of-town stores.

Until recently, Caernarfon was among them...

..but local opposition meant it was rejected.

In his food shop in Porthmadog, Geraint Hughes is aware...

..of the threat that's posed by supermarkets...

..and suggests other options should have been considered.

We've missed an opportunity to try something different.

Almost every town in Wales now has a supermarket...

..so we could stand up and say, "We're not having a supermarket."

We could have tried to develop things that make us different.

It was disappointing that the argument wasn't put forward.

You'll hear the same complaint from one shop to another.

The business tax is too high.

The Welsh Government is investigating this.

There is a strong argument for cutting the tax...

..because shops contribute to the economy in other ways...

..such as attracting people into the towns...

..which adds to the vibrancy of towns...

..and to taxes in other ways.

There's a definitely a reason to look into cutting business tax...

..because a small shop in Porthmadog...

..faces a tax bill of £3,000 to £4,000 to begin with.

Imagine how much one needs to sell...

..just to pay the tax.

But it's not such a bleak picture everywhere.

Some town are flourishing, even in the recession...

..and the high street is still at the heart of the community.

Selling the high street to visitors and shoppers pays dividends.

There's plenty to attract shoppers to the market in Mold.

They come from all over and the high street is also busy.

There are very few empty units here...

..and many are independent shops.

And that is despite the fact that there are supermarkets...

..like Tesco, Somerfield and Lidl in the area.

The financial crisis casts a shadow over Mold, like the rest of Wales...

..but our research and the results of that research...

..suggests Mold could provide leadership...

..for the rest of Wales.

Rhian Spaven is getting a taste of business - literally.

She owns a sweet shop.

She and her husband transformed the family newsagents...

..after seeing customers buying papers elsewhere.

To stay in business...

..she created this paradise for those with a sweet tooth.

Being friendly is very important.

Everyone wants to feel that they're important.

And they're all important - every customer is very important.

That's how we want them to feel.

I think a shop like this would work anywhere.

We're looking into creating a franchise.

You've also got to know where you're taking the business.

You can't stand still.

We started in a much smaller shop than the one we have now.

Every year, we think, what can we do this year to make it better?

But you have to have a go. I want to be like Willy Wonka!

A stone's throw away from the sweet shop is Arwel Owen's wine shop.

He was a fitness centre manager before venturing into business.

He says his shop's location is part of his success.

I've come in from high street now into the Gwinology shop in Mold.

The owner is Arwel Owen. How is business at the moment?

It's not too bad. I've seen worse times.

Things are going in the right direction, so we're OK.

How so?

As a town, it all helps, what we have in the area.

We have so many independent shops that are a little different.

We attract people from local villages. We're quite pro-active.

That keeps customers in the town.

Business people here cooperate to keep the high street busy.

John Les is a pub landlord, but he's also on several...

..local business committees, including the large food festival.

He says only 6% of Mold's shops are empty...

..and that a town centre manager ensures that everyone cooperates.

Yes, businesses are competing against each other...

..but let's get people into Mold first and then we can argue...

..over where they're going to buy food...

..where they're going to drink, where they're going to stay.

But get people in, and then you can do something.

Flintshire County Council...

..has earmarked eight towns to be regenerated.

Each one has a manager and each one is trying to attract shoppers...

..by offering choice, events and a reason for visiting.

You have to create a reason. Today, we have a market.

There's a livestock market here twice a week.

Yes, it's unwieldy and there are parking problems.

But the agricultural community comes to the centre of Mold.

Plans are underway to ensure that Mold high street succeeds...

..with the help of a town manager and extensive marketing.

But what about the future? Over to our expert.

You've just arrived in Mold. What are your first impressions?

I've walked down the high street, and it's very busy.

It's full of colour. The shops are well decorated.

They have selected and chosen their goods very carefully.

They've taken pride in their windows.

The whole spirit here fills you with hope about the future.

Does that mean that if a town is going to succeed...

..it needs some kind of image or focus?

Definitely. The town needs cohesion.

Like we were saying yesterday...

..it's very important to have someone to lead the town...

..and create a pattern and a plan for the future.

That way, everyone is aiming for the same thing.

To attract people into Mold.

Not only the people who live here but people on the outskirts.

These children are certainly happy with the high street...

..and these are the shoppers of the future.

Across Wales, businesses, politicians and shoppers...

..are eager to ensure that coming to a high street shop...

..is a pleasant experience for years to come.

People talk about parking...

..and affordable housing to keep people here.

But affordable housing and parking doesn't matter...

..if there's nothing to attract people to the town.

So it's back to basics to get the town to appeal to everyone.

I feel frustrated about Caernarfon...

..because it has a lot of the ingredients you need...

..for a successful town, but something's not clicking.

Everyone in the town is trying hard...

..and people who live in the town support the town.

They go to the butchers, the greengrocers and the small shops.

I think the customers like coming into the town to shop.

We have just distributed 40,000 newspapers...

..in the north of England, from Birmingham to Blackpool.

There's a possibility of attracting 15 million people here to Mold.

That's what we're doing.

Local people support us, local people work for us.

Welsh is the language in our shop like many other shops.

The council needs to realise...

..the importance of these kinds of shops.

S4C subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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