Why does this city have so many empty shops?

It may be Bradford's City of Culture year but, according to a report from the Centre for Cities, the city has more empty shops than nearly every city in the UK, and double those in London and Cambridge.

The think tank report claims Newport, Bradford and Blackpool have the highest retail vacancy rate, while London, Cambridge and Oxford have the lowest.

So, why is the city so empty, what is being done about it and is UK City of Culture 2025 the boost Bradford needs?

John Varey and his family have been running Blossoms Florist from a unit in Market Street for nine months.

"It started off as a florist but we're evolving to fit in with the Bradford community," he says.

"We're also opening up in Darley Street Market. We're opening a plant emporium up there [and] this shop here is going to be turned into a flower cafe. We're evolving."

He suggests the city's empty shop problem could be minimised if the council took more of a role in deciding which businesses were based in which units.

"If all these businesses were owned by Bradford Council it wouldn't end up like this," he says.

"Because they're privately owned and the guys who own the businesses just want to fill them, they don't care what gets in them. If we had control of what goes in here and the council could sign it off, you stand a better chance."

But he adds the City of Culture year has been a boost, and he hopes the city can build on the momentum.

He says: "Ever since the City of Culture signs have gone up, we're getting quite a lot of tourists coming in here and we're changing things into gifts for tourism promoting Bradford.

"Bradford Council has done an excellent job. What they're doing now is not for today as such. Rome wasn't built in a day. Bradford wasn't built in a day. But it's evolving.

"This year is a good standard now to build on."

Jonny Noble, chief executive of Bradford BID, says the news that Bradford has a lot of empty shops is not exactly new for those who know the city.

"I've lived in Bradford all my life and it has been recognised for some time to be honest," he says.

"We've got a lot of not fit-for-purpose retail. In the 1980s and 1990s, obviously Bradford was much more vibrant, shall we say, than it might be classed as now, or the retail scene, generally, in the UK was."

Independent retail expert Catherine Shuttleworth agrees.

"The landlords of Bradford have got to get real and rethink the space, invest in it, and the council have got to work with the landlords to make it somewhere attractive for people to come and open shops," she says.

"Fundamentally, for a modern retailer, you need easy access.

"You need air-conditioned shops, you need buildings you can get in and out of, and you need footfall."

The report backs their claims, advising one of the reasons Bradford has a high rate of vacant units is too much space.

On Thursday morning in the Kirkgate Centre - which is earmarked for demolition but is yet to have an exact date - there are empty units everywhere.

And in the Broadway shopping centre, though busier, there are a considerable number of empty shops.

A number of retailers, who did not want to speak on the record, say this is because the Broadway rents are too high and the closure of the Kirkgate Centre is affecting the businesses in that area of the city.

Mr Noble says BID does its own research into vacancy rates, and that number is starting to drop.

"I don't really like the phrase shrinking the city centre, but it's making it fit for purpose and making sure the right offers are there," he says.

"We had far too much not fit-for-purpose space that was never going to be brought back into use [as] retail space and, with changing shopping habits, we need an experiential offer where people can touch and feel and smell and see."

He says the city needs to shift away from mainstream retailers.

"Retail used to be everything. You'd look down every street around the country and see all the same signs. Well, that is not happening anymore.

"One thing I would be really keen to see is more independents - they are the life and soul of a city centre."

Si Cunningham, chairperson of Bradford Civic Society, says the drop in retail is to do with online shopping.

"There's an issue with wider national and international trends and retailers are not needing as many branches anymore, so they are consolidating the bricks and mortar branches into bigger regional centres.

"We do risk cities like Bradford, that are not regional centres, losing out because of that, but that probably highlights why it's important for Bradford to have a really strong independent offer."

Ms Shuttleworth believes part of Bradford's problem is its close proximity to Leeds and out-of-town retail hubs.

"We've seen some really high-profile names pull out of Bradford, particularly Marks & Spencer. I think the reason for it is the provision of shopping outside of town," she says.

"Places like Leeds' White Rose Shopping Centre pull a lot of people in from Bradford.

"These are easy places to go to, easy places to get in and out of. Bradford's really hard to get in and out of.

"Leeds has a fantastic retail offer and is super easy to access either by bus or train."

Mr Cunningham says the answer is fewer shops, more restaurants and more culture.

"We need to make sure we're promoting things like food and drink and cultural experiences rather than retail," he says.

"If we just follow the retail trends internationally then we're always going to end up with high vacancy rates."

Mr Noble says that shift is already under way, with the opening of Darley Street Market and more cultural venues across the city, such as Loading Bay and Bradford Live.

"We've got a fantastic offer and the place has never looked as good as it currently does," he says.

"I am absolutely confident that vacancy rates will drop significantly over the next couple of years and get back to where we feel we should be."

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