CBI on Grimsey Review: ‘High streets have changed forever’

The CBI’s chief policy director, Katja Hall, has claimed that the high street cannot be “reinvented” after so much change as taken place in recent years.
In response to the Grimsey Review, she said: “Rapid change in the retail sector means high streets have changed forever, and we can’t reinvent them as they once were.
“High streets are suffering from a lack of strategic vision, so a business plan for each town centre is a good idea – giving businesses the opportunity to work alongside local authorities to breathe new life into our town centres.”
She added: “Action on business rates would help ease the pressure on some retailers struggling to keep their doors open. However, a one-off money-grab on larger retailers would undermine investment and job creation.”