Cheltenham’s high street has experienced a significant number of shop closures in recent months, leaving residents disappointed with the town centre’s deteriorating condition.
The historic Regency town faced a major setback earlier this year when Cavendish House, a flagship store on the Promenade that had operated for over 200 years, closed its doors. This loss deeply affected traders along the Promenade, many of whom feel overlooked as the once-busy shopping area has diminished.
Challenges are not confined to the Promenade. Nearby, Cheltenham High Street has seen numerous shops close, with many premises remaining empty, boarded up, and marked with “To Let” signs. Despite some shops remaining open, footfall appears low; during a recent Friday lunchtime visit, the Regent Arcade shopping centre felt notably quiet, with popular retailers such as The Body Shop and Apricot vacant, and others like Schuh and The Card Factory experiencing sparse customer activity.
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A common complaint among shoppers is the proliferation of chain coffee shops that fill the high street, often replacing more varied retail outlets such as clothing stores. Local resident Lauren Stemp remarked, “There’s not much variety in the shops anymore, it’s literally just all coffee shops. As soon as something shuts, another coffee chain opens. We don’t need it. You can come in for a coffee or a bite to eat, there’s loads of nice bakeries, but shopping is pretty dire now. We need more clothing shops, I think that’s my main issue. There’s not really anywhere to shop here anymore.”
Lauren plans to shop in Bristol next week due to the limited options in Cheltenham. A short walk along the high street reveals the extent of the issue: within less than half a mile between Brewery Quarter and Roxy Lanes, there are at least five chain coffee shops, plus a McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC, and seven betting shops and arcades.
Long-time visitor David Lewis, from Bishop’s Cleeve, described the town centre as “a shambles,” saying, “I come in as rarely as possible. It’s shabby, it’s a shambles. It’s awful, really. The shops are closed, it doesn’t have any appeal at all. It’s really run down.” When asked about potential remedies, he added, “I don’t think you can, now. I think the genie’s out of the bottle, and you won’t get shopping back to how it was.”
Richard and Sally Williams, who have lived in Cheltenham for over 30 years, highlighted the large number of vacant premises as a key issue. Richard suggested, “They should reduce the size of the high street and convert some of these empty premises back to more housing for the town centre, or just offer more of a variety of shops rather than all these coffee shops.” Sally expressed concern about high rents and the general upkeep of the high street, stating, “I think that somebody is being very greedy about the rents, and it’s pushing shops out. I also feel like the upkeep of the high street is disgusting compared to some other places, like Cirencester or Stratford-upon-Avon. There’s parts of it that are not very pleasant at the moment, which is a shame.”
The couple often shop in neighbouring towns such as Cirencester, Bristol, or even Cardiff, citing better experiences elsewhere. “It’s sad, really,” Richard commented. “We go to lots of other town centres and have a much better experience than coming into Cheltenham. There are so many opportunities here, there’s lots that can be done, but nobody seems to do anything.”
Nonetheless, some shoppers continue to visit Cheltenham for shopping. Lucy, from Gloucester, said, “I probably come here more than I would go into Gloucester for shopping. It’s better here than in Gloucester, there’s nothing there. There’s still not loads here, it’s a bit of a shame to see the shops that have closed here, and it would be good if they could lower rents and bring back some of those shops. But it’s a better town centre to have a mooch around.”