High Street nightmare

This is the verdict from the association of small shopkeepers which this week organised a protest in Palma to show that all is not well on the Palma High Street. If you look around Palma at the moment a growing number of shops are having closing down sales. It is a trend which you see right across Majorca. Small retailers do face a nightmare time.

There are three giant retail centres which have been established on the outskirts of the city, then there is internet shopping. Now, obviously the small shops simply can’t compete against the larger stores which discount on a large scale. Perhaps, one of the suggestions which the local authorities could consider is allowing all shops in Palma to open on a Sunday.

At the moment only those in the city centre are allowed to open seven days a week. You can see the changes which are coming about on the High Street. Shops which have been open for many years are being gradually replaced by pizza-outlets, ice-cream stores and discount shops. They are aimed at cruise ship passengers who will soon be visiting Palma in considerable numbers.

Can small retailers turn back the tide of change which is engulfing the High Street? Yes, I think so, but it will come at a cost. They will need to change their opening hours and also they need to start opening on a Sunday if the local authorities give them the green light. It will be a great shame if small shops did disappear from the High Street but times are changing.