High Street

With the rapid increase in consumer expenditure, the number of High Streets in England grew from the 17th century and reached a peak in Victorian Britain, where, drawn to growing towns and cities spurred on by the Industrial Revolution, the rate of urbanisation was unprecedented.

Since the latter half of the 20th century, the prosperity of High Streets has been in decline due to the growth of out-of-town shopping centres, and, since the early 21st century, the growth of online retailing, forcing many shop closures and prompting the UK government to consider initiatives to reinvigorate and preserve the High Street.

Many former British colonies, including Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the US region known as New England (especially Massachusetts),[5] adopted the term to refer to retail shopping areas.

This may have been based on the need for high visibility in order to regulate retail trade, as well as to avoid congestion in the narrow lanes and back streets.

[9] Accordingly, from the 17th century, the term "High Street" gradually assumed a narrower meaning and came to describe thoroughfares with significant retail in large villages and towns.

In the second half of the 20th century, traditional British High Street precincts came under pressure from out-of-town shopping centres in the United Kingdom, with the balance shifting towards the latter.

To confront this threat, High Street precincts have been forced to evolve; some have become smaller as shops shut their doors, while others have become more like social spaces with a concentration of retail services including cafes, restaurants and entertainment venues while yet others have positioned themselves as more up-market shopping precincts with a preponderance of stores selling luxury branded goods.

[18] In the United Kingdom, geographic concentration of goods and services (including at industrial estates and out of town shopping centres) has reduced the share of the economy contributed to by workers in the high street.

Research into the customer's shopping preferences and patterns reveals that the continued vitality of towns is predicated on a number of different variables.

"[20] In order to address the issues threatening the sustainability of towns it is increasingly important to consider Consumer behaviour and customer experience.

This is in line with research that proposes that for high street retail to thrive in spite of the growth threat of eCommerce, the sensual hedonic experiences (e.g. scent, feel, etc.)

However, her plan has failed to stem the number of High Street store closures, leaving authorities in a quandary about how to proceed.

In some sections of Canada, the main commercial district is Front Street (especially in cities located alongside a waterway).

In most cities the main business and shopping area is rather referred to as Innenstadt (downtown) or by the specific street name.

In some sections of the United States, the main commercial district is Front Street (especially in cities located alongside a waterway).