With its winding cobbled lanes, eclectic mix of independent shops and timeless charm, Petworth is bucking the trend while the British High Street faces an unprecedented decline.
A quintessential market town in rural West Sussex, Petworth has historically been a haven for antique dealers and artists, but has diversified to offer locals and visitors a unique shopping experience which is a world away from the rest of the country.
As high streets across the country crumble under the rise of online shopping, unsustainable business rates and Labour’s latest Budget tax raid, Petworth has not only survived but continues to thrive.
It comes after High Street staples Claire’s and The Original Factory were put into administration after Modella Capital, who attempted to rescue both chains at the 11th hour, blamed Rachel Reeves‘s fiscal policies for making it impossible for to trade profitably again.
Antique dealers, wine merchants, book sellers and rug makers in Petworth this week told the Daily Mail how they are ‘bucking the trend’ while the rest of the UK feels the pinch of the sluggish economy.
In nearby Chichester, locals say the cathedral city once filled with hundreds of independent shops has ‘become a product of its own demise’ with dozens of shops boarded up or being taken over by chains.
And further down the A27, in Waterlooville, a once thriving Hampshire suburb has been likened to a ‘ghost town’ as like many High Streets, it has fallen into sharp decline with locals avoiding it like the plague.
The recipe to Petworth’s success? A close-knit community where independent businesses stay open for decades and wretch at the idea of corporate chains coming and going, leaving a trail of destruction behind.
But perhaps the hidden secret, say shop owners, is that many of these small independent companies are not facing crushing business rates as they don’t meet the threshold.
PETWORTH: A quintessential market town in rural West Sussex, Petworth (pictured) has historically been a haven for antique dealers and artists
Hannah Hennings has worked in Petworth for around 25 years after falling in love with the town
Visitors love coming to the independent Petworth Bookshop over a Waterstones
Owners do not have to pay business rates on properties with a rateable value (the estimate of how much it would cost to rent a property for a year) of £12,000 or less, if that is the only property the business uses.
And while they have built up loyal customers over decades with their specialist offerings, businesses are also boosted by tourists who come to the town centre after visiting the stunning Petworth House and the South Downs national park.
John Bird, who founded his antiques business in the early 1970s, told the Daily Mail: ‘Petworth slightly bucks the trend with its occupancy and having a healthy economy.
‘I currently don’t pay any rates and so do most shops in Petworth. Part of the attraction currently is because the rateable values here for shops is quite low.
‘They don’t reach the threshold where they have to pay rates. So an awful lot of shops in Petworth are not paying rates, which allows them to survive on not huge turnovers.’
He added: ‘I can remember paying rates in my old shop and it was a large amount of money – and I’m not sure businesses can sustain it now.
‘If we want to maintain the character of villages and towns we have to seriously consider the overheads of small shops because otherwise everything will end up as a charity shop.’
Mr Bird said he and other businesses in Petworth can survive even with ‘several bad weeks’, explaining: ‘You only need one or two good [antique] sales and you’ve covered your expenses.’
The antiques dealer said he is ‘fortunate’ to have a landlord who also offers him affordable rent.
He explained: ‘I’ve been here seven years, the last tenant that was here asked for a rent reduction and the landlord gave it and he hasn’t put it up.
John Bird, who founded his antiques business in the early 1970s, said his rent is low and he pays no rates
Petworth has not only survived but continues to thrive while the British High Street crumbles
Steve Howe (pictured) has owned Petworth Bookshop since 2002
Mandy Lebentz (pictured) works at Garden Gate, which specialises in furniture and home decor
Ms Lebentz works at Garden Gate, which opened last year and has had a successful trading period
CHICHESTER: The city once boasted hundreds of independent shops, but locals have fumed over the amount of empty shops – including the House of Fraser opposite the cathedral which has been closed for seven years
‘I think there’s a limit, it’s not exactly a high-end High Street situation, there’s a limit to how much you can ask for rents. People wouldn’t take the shops.’
Mr Bird said Petworth’s shops are also protected by the council who insist on stores remaining stores and prevent them being turned into housing.
‘They wouldn’t get planning for converting a shop. They get planning to convert upstairs parts into accommodation but they wouldn’t be allowed to develop ground floor,’ he said.
‘It’s a terrible shame when shops close and they become residential. It would be awful, nobody would come.’
Chichester District Council say they work with small businesses across Petworth to ‘ensure they maximise their business rates relief entitlement’.
Mandy Lebentz, who works at Garden Gate in Petworth, told how the town has an ‘eclectic mix of independent businesses’.
‘You find something different in Petworth,’ she said. ‘It’s unusual, it’s such a beautiful, historic market town, everyone knows each other, all the businesses are very supportive of each other, I think that makes a huge difference.’
She added: ‘It’s upmarket, it’s a wealthy area. We are so full of independents, whether it would work or not I’m not sure. I think people are just fed up of chains, every High Street is just the same old thing, it gets boring. I’m not sure how Petworth would take to Costa!
‘The only way to survive is for independent shops to offer something different that draws people in. There’s a lot of doom and gloom out there, here we are just trying to do something different.’
Graham Westmore (pictured) has worked at Rugs of Petworth for nearly 10 years
He said Rugs of Petworth offers a specialist product for its clients
Pictured is Hennings Wine Merchants. They also had a shop in Chichester but they had to close it due to the cost of the new lease
Ms Lebentz said their shop and other owners she has spoken to had a ‘really successful Christmas’, adding: ‘It is bucking the trend.’
Steve Howe, who has owned Petworth Bookshop since 2002, said there was an ‘escapism’ to the town which is also attracting a younger generation.
‘There is something old fashioned about it. When I came 20 years ago, the vast majority of customers were older than me, now they are younger than me.
‘There’s been a real change in demographic here. There’s a lot of 20 and 30 year olds on a weekend with the kids.
‘That gives us hope for the future as well. We don’t feel like we are on a gradual decline like a lot of towns are.’
The 59-year-old said Petworth businesses have survived over the years because they offer ‘longevity’.
He added: ‘The ones that stay are the ones prepared to put in the hard yards and are prepared to be open at the time people want them to be.’
But he is also cautious about the future, condemning the Government for threatening to destroy small businesses in the latest Budget.
‘There is a domino effect, there’s a critical mass going on. If half a dozen shops in the town were to close now, it would be a disaster because it would reduce its overall appeal,’ he said.
‘We are all reliant on one another. It would be disappointing if there was room for a chain here.
‘We were all really looking forward to the Budget, thinking it was going to be a level playing field at last for business rates and the bigger companies – particularly the online giants – were going to be asked to take a bigger share of it.
‘For the Government to announce the same day that the valuation office announced the change in valuation at the same time they changed the multiplier, businesses like this are actually paying more business rates next year than this year.
‘We do feel quite shafted to be quite honest. It doesn’t feel the Governments have any kind of investment in what the High Street represents to their individual communities.
‘And the problem is once it goes, it doesn’t come back. You don’t get to revitalise places like this, once they are gone they are gone.
‘No one gets rich doing this, this isn’t about making lots of money. If you don’t have a vocation for this, you wouldn’t do it. I think it’s time Governments woke up to the fact people do value the High Street.
‘There’s an opportunity to change it if they are prepared to grasp the nettle and do something about it and ultimately that comes down to money.’
Graham Westmore, a showroom manager at Rugs of Petworth, said: ‘Everywhere is an independent, it is a really good atmosphere, there’s no chains or big companies. It is all friendly and everyone knows each other and works together nicely.
‘The only non independent is the Co-Op, but everyone needs a supermarket. As long as I remember, it’s always been independent.’
Mr Westmore said other High Streets could take inspiration from Petworth, explaining: ‘It makes everyone work a bit closer together and people help each other out. Big chains are out for themselves and aren’t going to recommend someone going to a competitor or a different store if you don’t have the right thing.
‘Here everyone is really friendly, everyone recommends everyone else. ‘
When the Mail visited Chichester, this row of shops including the House of Fraser had become rundown. It is opposite the cathedral
Alexis Collins opened The Sussex Bookshop a year ago, despite the challenges of running a business in today’s climate
‘Most people have been in business in the town for years or decades. We opened in 2008. It’s not sort of pop up for a year and disappear.
‘You don’t see too many empty shops because people are settled and are doing well enough that they can stay for a long time.’
Hannah Hennings has worked in Petworth ever since she fell in love with the town about 25 years ago.
The assistant manager at Hennings Wine Merchants said Petworth’s success stems from its strong links to London, the draw of Petworth House and businesses sticking around for decades which builds up a community of people.
‘We’re very lucky, we have a real loyal customer base and some people have used us for decades.
‘Petworth is so well known for antiques and art, people come looking for particular things and discover everything alongside it.’
Speaking about how the company are faring amid the cost-of-living crisis, she said: ‘December is already a tell-tale sign, it’s the one month you need to do well. We were quite pleased how December went as a business and talking to other shop owners, they also felt it was a decent time of year.
‘We’re not immune to the feeling of the people tightening their belts certainly.’
An empty shop, a vape store and a phone repair shop in one of the busiest parts of the town centre
Chichester has traditionally been a beautiful cathedral city filled with independent shops
There were several empty shops along the High Street, while locals are fed-up of chains
She added: ‘You get something different with the independents, it’s not the same stuff you get in chains. People are looking for those gifty things, it’s the mix of what we have here which is quite good as well.’
Although Ms Hennings has had success in Petworth, they used to have a shop in nearby Chichester, which like many places in the Cathedral city, have been unable to survive.
‘We did really well with a shop front in Chichester but after 10 years, and renegotiating rates, it wasn’t possible for us,’ she said.
‘Chichester used to have so many independent shops, but with business rates and rent, it was a product of its own demise.’
When the Mail visited this week, there were dozens of empty storefronts, vape shops and phone repair stores which has prompted anger among locals.
As you walk down West Street, to the left you have the beautiful, towering Chichester Cathedral.
But look to your right, and you are met with a row of empty, boarded up shops – including a huge House of Fraser which has been abandoned for seven years.
What was once a centre piece for the town centre now has the word ‘help’ graffitied across its windows.
One elderly local who was waiting for the bus opposite House of Fraser told us: ‘It should be a beautiful place but there are so many shops becoming empty and remaining empty.
Not even a Papa John’s has survived on the Waterlooville high street
‘You are losing the whole history of the city, it’s very very sad. We are all grumbling but it doesn’t get us anywhere. It’s as if nobody is listening, so we don’t know whether it’s the rents or quite what, but the past few years we have seen more shops close than ever.
‘It’s so sad to see it opposite the Cathedral. I’ve been here 40 years and these places just close, they just can’t afford to carry on.’
She said Chichester used to be a ‘welcoming place with lots of independent shops, but we’ve lost the whole atmosphere.
‘You see coaches and you feel like telling tourists ‘Why are you coming in?’ because so many shops are closed. It’s very very sad.
‘We have given up.’
Another local, Mary Marple, said: ‘All the shops worth having have closed down for one reason or another. They keep getting replaced by coffee shops and eating places and tattoo parlours. If I want to go shopping now , I have to go somewhere else.
‘It’s a shame , it would be nice if they were replaced by a worthwhile shop. There are so many eating places, we’ll all be fat! Or they just sit empty.
‘It used to be independents but now it’s all chains. You can go to a different town and it’s exactly the same shops. All the interesting ones have gone.’
Looking down a row of empty stores, Sayed Shakir said: ‘This is horrible isn’t it. That used to be a lovely hotel, empty, House of Fraser empty, these are historical buildings. It’s not nice is it, you see the tourists looking.’
He added: ‘There’s a lot of poverty now. Especially since Labour, rates . Because of the tax implications, even the employers are getting rid of staff which is having a knock on effect for other people.
‘A lot of these companies are struggling, rent, rates, it’s just ridiculous. It’s like it’s being done on purpose.
‘Three or four years ago, Chichester was a lot better. About a year and a half, two years ago, it just started seeing a big change in shoplifting and homeless people, a lot of drinking.’
But going against the grain is Alexis Collins, who opened up the independent The Sussex Bookshop which just celebrated its first birthday.
She said: There has been a book shop on this site for decades, but the previous owners’ lease expired. The shop was empty for six months.
‘I felt Chichester is a Cathedral city, it’s a university city , it was crying out for an independent book shop.
‘[Independents] can have a huge impact. So many High Streets are generic so when you have something which is different it becomes a USP for the city. We have the USP of the Cathedral and the USP of over 200 independent shops.
‘When people come here from London, further afield, they are seeing something a little bit different.’
Opening an independent store in Chichester has not come without its challenges.
‘It’s not easy. We are in the south of England. The rates here are probably almost three times the average per square foot compared to the average for the whole country. High overheads, business rates, minimum wage, it’s not easy.’
She added: ‘There was a big increase compared to the previous tenant. That’s the main reason why the shops are empty, because the landlord chooses to ask for a higher rent and the tenant says enough.
‘Across the road was JoJo Maman Bebe, which was owned by Next, even they said enough and moved out.
‘Property prices, landlord expectations make life very challenging.’
Her shop assistant, 21-year-old Meg Hare, is positive for the future, explaining: ‘There’s been a notable increase in people choosing to shop independent, making the conscious decision to do so due to increase in shopping online and losing High Streets.’
The end result of a declining High Street is laid bare by nearby Waterlooville, a once thriving high street which has fallen into a state of disrepair.
One local bluntly told us: ‘It was once thriving with business, now it’s nothing more than a shallow grave of what it used to be.’
Meanwhile, Marie Betsworth said: ‘I’ve known this High Street for years, I used to work at Boots and there used to be a real buzz about it. You go into shop, there’s hardly any staff and the customer service side has completely gone.
‘There are a lot of empty shops, they have been for years. If I’m honest, I don’t come up here very often anymore if I can help it, there’s nothing worth coming up for, it’s quite depressing.
‘It used to be a nice busy High Street, you had good places to shop.
‘You go into shops now, there’s hardly anything on the shelves, and it’s just massive decline all over I’m afraid .
‘It just looks like a complete and utter ghost town, it’s just depressing to come up here.
‘Independent places would be nice , something a bit different from the main retail shops. Something just to draw people’s interest in, shops with staff would help!
The rent is quite high which is crippling businesses. Surely it is in the council’s interest to [get people to fill empty shops].’
A customer assistant at Poundland added that shoplifting in the area is ‘absolutely terrible’, adding: ‘The police don’t do anything because it’s not over £200, we’re not allowed to tackle them. Certain people are banned but they come back in and take it away all the time.’
Last January, a short video of Waterlooville went viral on social media, courtesy of a woman who grew up in the town and had returned to visit her parents. ‘Look at it!’ she said, scanning the camera around the shopping haunts of her youth. ‘There’s just bloody nothing here!’
WATERLOOVILLE: When the Mail visited this week, several shops were out of business and empty
When the Mail visited this week, the High Street still resembled the ‘zombie-like’ feel it went viral for.
Several stores, including one large cluster on both sides of the street, remain empty – and not even a Papa Johns has been able to cling on.
While some locals have given up, others say the video may have prompted change – citing improvements in the last six months including a revamped shopping centre.
Havant Borough Council has pledged to rejuvenate Waterlooville with a new ‘masterplan’ – including the conversion of a former bank into The Exchange restaurant on the High Street.
Gavin Feltham, who owns one of several barber shops on the High Street, said: ‘I’ve lived here all my life. There has been decline but the last six months have been better.
‘There’s been a bit of investment but rents and rates are a big problem.
‘It’s a bit quiet, run down and unkept, with rubbish and general disrepair. It’s not appealing.’
He called for more police patrols in the area, saying it would help crackdown on anti-social behaviour.
A Pets at Home worker agreed with Mr Feltham, saying: ‘It used to be a bit of a s***hole but they have recently revamped it. There’s more coffee shops, they are definitely retying to make it nicer.
‘Pre covid and during covid, a lot of places had to shut down because they weren’t making money. We hit it hard but we are getting there.
This is an impacted area. It’s just a nip round the corner place, it’s not very busy. There’s a lot of crime around here, shoplifting, breaking windows, it’s all around here.
‘People are trying to make something of it again. I must admit it’s not something I would want to show people around, it doesn’t feel that safe especially at night.’
Another barber, Hassan Ali, said: ‘The High Street is very quiet, there’s too many barber shops opening.
‘It’s not easy to stay open. It’s expensive rent and rates. This town has too much council rates because it’s very quite. This is why businesses are closing down.
‘Before this town was very busy, now it is empty, there’s no people here.’
A spokesperson for Chichester District Council said: ‘Renowned for its charm and individuality, Petworth has always offered a unique shopping experience.
‘Boasting a wealth of businesses from independent boutiques, artisan food shops, galleries, and world-famous antique dealers, visitors can enjoy everything from fine wines and luxury skincare to designer fashion and handcrafted gifts, all complemented by welcoming cafés and restaurants.
‘The high street’s vibrant mix of businesses and stunning scenery — as well as local visitor attractions — make Petworth not just a place to shop, but a place to explore, connect, and experience something very special.
‘Many businesses in Petworth benefit from Business Rates Relief because the town has lots of smaller business premises. Business rates are set by the Valuation Office Agency and are based on the rateable value of each property, which means that small businesses occupying these units often qualify for relief.
‘As a council, we work hard with all small businesses across the district, including those in Petworth, to ensure they maximise their business rates relief entitlement.
‘Small Business Rate Relief is not awarded automatically and so engagement with businesses is crucial to ensure that they are aware of — and can claim — the relief, if they are eligible.’
