The once thriving 'destination' high street that has become a 'dying ghost town' with more than 40 empty shops

Daily Mail​

21-07-2025

The once thriving 'destination' high street that has become a 'dying ghost town' with more than 40 empty shops
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Families living along a once thriving high street have described it as a 'dying ghost town' after more than 40 shops closed their doors.
Walsall was once the beating heart of the UK's leather and saddle trade before becoming a 'destination' retail centre with a range of trendy independent stores and top chains.
But depressing photos have shown how far downhill the West Midlands town has gone in recent times, with many businesses now boarded up, featuring smashed windows and covered in graffiti.
The market town was recently named the second lowest rated area in England to start a business and previously had one of the worst empty shop rates in Britain.
Residents of the area admit they fear for the future of the 'forgotten' shopping hub where there is 'no longer any sense of community'.
In particular, frustrated store owners say they are finding it hard to make ends meet and not enough is being done to revive the post-industrial town.
Harcharan Pala, who runs music store Revolution Records, said: 'I've been here eight or nine years and we've seen the big shops like Debenhams and M&S disappear.
'The town is just desolate now, hardly anyone comes here. It used to be a destination town, people went out of their way to come here, but that just doesn't happen anymore.
A boarded up shop in Walsall. Families living along the once thriving high street have described it as a 'dying ghost town'
It was once the beating heart of the UK's leather and saddle trade before becoming a 'destination' retail centre
Depressing photos have shown how far downhill the West Midlands town has gone in recent times, with many businesses now boarded up
'Without those big anchor shops drawing people in, there's no reason for people to come shopping here anymore. They go to cities like Birmingham or Wolverhampton or even out of town retail parks in Cannock or Merry Hill in Dudley
'We've just been left behind here. The amount of empty shops is sad to see.'
The shopkeeper added that he was considering taking his business online amid diminishing footfall.
'But there's no incentive for small business owners as the rents and rates are too high,' he said. 'They need to come down to draw people back otherwise it will remain empty.
'I'm attached to an indoor market and the number of traders had dropped 18 to seven. I'm thinking about moving online as it's just very difficult to compete.
'People's shopping habits have massively changed. Walsall has turned into a town of pound shops and charity shops.'
Window cleaner Paul Booth, meanwhile, who has been washing the town centre's offices, shops, banks and pubs for 44 years, says the town is 'dead'.
The 64-year-old used to work six days a week but can now complete his rounds in just a day.
Harcharan Pala, who runs music store Revolution Records, said he has seen some of the big chains in the area move on
The market town was recently named the second lowest rated area in England to start a business
A smashed window on a shop front in Walsall, a struggling town in the West Midlands
It previously had one of the worst empty shop rates in Britain
New figures have revealed Walsall was below average on nearly every economic metric and almost one in four residents are economically inactive.
There are around 150 shops across the West Mindland town's four main shopping streets meaning approximately one in four are currently estimated to be lying empty.
Mr Booth added: 'I don't even recognise the place anymore. It's just empty and dying a death.
'We first noticed it during the recession around 2008 and the town has just never recovered.
'I used to know all the street cleaners, bin men, bus drivers, you couldn't go five steps without being stopped.
'Now there's no sense of community at all. Just cheap and nasty shops selling tacky plastic toys and mobile phone covers.
'It's sad to see what Walsall has become.'
Damian Chapman, 30, is a rare example of someone taking their business to the struggling market town. He is opening a trading card game store this month.
Walsall pictured in the 1950s. Things have changed in the market town over the past few decades
Residents of the area admit they fear for the future of the 'forgotten' shopping hub where there is 'no longer any sense of community'
New figures have revealed Walsall was below average on nearly every economic metric
Almost one in four residents in the area are economically inactive
There are around 150 shops across the West Mindland town's four main shopping streets, a steep decline
Approximately one in four businesses in Walsall's centre are currently estimated to be lying empty
He added: 'I'd seen all the negativity around the town centre but it didn't put me off because this is where I grew up and came as a kid.
'There was a trading card game shop which closed down where I used to go after school and I think there is certainly still a demand for it.
'We've got an upstairs we're hoping to turn into a community space so the younger generation have something to do in the six weeks holidays.
'I think when you have something niche and unique too, people will travel to seek it out.
'You don't want to be dealing with collectibles on eBay and online, you want to be able to feel it, so that was the thinking about opening up the shop.
'There's still enough footfall with the college in the town too, it is actually surprisingly busy not just on weekends - it just needs more open shops for people to enjoy.'
But Jonathan Lovell, 42, disagreed, saying: 'Walsall had one of the best night life scenes going in the Midlands on top of a thriving market and good shopping, now it's just depressingly dead.
'We grew up in the Wharf Bar, the atmosphere in the town was brilliant. But now I don't feel safe to go out and I come out of my flat most mornings to find someone has urinated on my doorstep most days, it's pretty grim.'
Damian Chapman, pictured, is a rare example of someone taking their business to the struggling market town
The Starting Gate pub in Walsall provides yet another example of a derelict building in the area
Walsall Council said the town is undergoing a £1.5bn regeneration programme, which will create opportunities for businesses
Grates covering closed shops are a common sight in the once popular market town
Graffiti adorns the front of many buildings in Walsall as the area slides into decline
Tom Ironside, director of business and regulation at the British Retail Consortium, said: 'Vacant properties have become an all too familiar sight across the country in recent years.
'Local initiatives to rejuvenate town centres and high streets are welcome however it is essential that wider steps are taken to support their transformation.
'The current, outdated business rates system has deterred local investment and contributed to widespread store closures.
'It is essential that the Government's reforms to rates leave no shop paying more. This would allow retailers to invest more in the communities they serve and help breathe life back into our high streets.'
Walsall Council said the town is undergoing a £1.5bn regeneration programme, which will create opportunities for businesses.
Councillor Adrian Andrew, deputy leader of the local authority, said: 'We know the economy is struggling. People's shopping habits have changed, and our town centres need to diversify.
'The council is working to create an environment that attracts people into the town centre so that local people will shop local and support local businesses.'