High streets must adapt to meet the changing needs of consumers if they are to prosper, the Government will warn today.
Local Growth Minister Mark Prisk will tell the 27 Portas Pilots - locations trialling retail guru Mary Portas's 28 recommendations to Government - that the high street cannot live in the past but must change to meet radical changes in consumer behaviour over the past few years.
He will launch a new national Future High Streets Forum of leaders from retail, property and business to better understand competition faced by town centres and build on the Portas Review.
The forum will advise on how to adapt to online shopping and the changing behaviour of consumers.
It will also investigate parking, how to make it easier for pop-up shops to use empty spaces and allowing commercial landlords to turn part of their building into residential property to bring more people into town centres.
Mr Prisk will say: "It is clear that our high streets will need to change to prosper. There is already great work being done across the country to revitalise the town centres but it needs to spread further, faster. The Future High Streets Forum will help us do that.
"The forum will bring business, councils, retailers and property experts to work together and back communities to rejuvenate our high streets."
The forum will be chaired by Mr Prisk and Alliance Boots health and beauty division chief executive Alex Gourlay and include representatives from John Lewis, the British Retail Consortium, the British Property Federation, the British Council of Shopping Centres, the Association of Town and City Management and the Association of Convenience Stores.
Mr Gourlay will say: "High streets are vital for the health of our communities, providing services and support that are accessible and within easy walking distance for many people. From speaking to our customers, we know that the survival of the High Street is very important to them."
