Councils up and down the country have been dealing with the death of the high street and small privately run retailers. But in many Asian areas the main thoroughfare has been booming.


Is it not time that councils and politicians started taking these areas a lot more seriously? And can other areas learn from how Asian businesses have helped to buck the trend in their neighbourhoods.


The traditional high street is dead. Butchers, sweet shops and small retail businesses tended to serve their local communities.

Town centres have also seen smaller shops struggling to compete with the out of town mega stores.


Coupled with this has been a dramatic shift in shopping habits with people now buying more of their products online. Some areas are now quickly being taken over by either betting shops, charity stores and pound stores.

This is no more evident than in North West towns.

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Business guru Mary Portas tried to reinvent the high street by encouraging people to buy locally from shops situated in the centre of the town. But it didn’t quite work.
The the fact of the matter is that the high street is dead and buried in your neighbourhood.
But it can work.
Asian shopping areas are thriving even in the most testing economic times.
Some shopping streets in North West towns have shown how your business will survive if you provide what your local population needs.
It isn’t easy – running a business is never easy.
Success brings with it more challenges.
One of the best examples in the region is Whalley Range, Blackburn. This is a stretch of road near the town centre where businesses have reinvented themselves.
Empty retail shops are snapped up within weeks and new and enterprising businesses open up when another closes down.


There is everything from fashion shops, pharmacies, takeaways, jewellers, travel agents, grocers, delicatessens, phone shops and Islamic bookshops.
This is the British high street reinvented.


One of the most surprising things about this area is how businesses that were established over two decades ago look to modernise. They reinvest in their own premises making them grander and more appealing.


The high demand for space is epitomised with shops opening up second floor show rooms.
From a distance these stores help to bring a new sense of pride to the area they serve.
Only Manchester’s ‘Curry Mile ‘can really compete with this stretch of road.
Much of these areas have evolved almost naturally. Alongside grand mosques in some areas you will find a fashion shop.

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Yes, admittedly stretches of takeaways do open up in some areas but even here they become renowned as small food hubs.
So why is there is a hesitation when it comes to promoting and investing in an Asian shopping area in a town. Is there still this level of embarrassment that the town will be ‘known for having too many Asians’?


Is there this fear that supporting one community means you are ignoring another? Is there a real lack of understanding how small businesses can help rejuvenate areas?
That doesn’t mean you should stop concentrating on town centres themselves. But planning can go hand in hand.


In this area, we have dozens of businesses which attract customers from across the country.
Which shopping area can really boast that?
Quite simply businesses survive until there is no more demand for their services.
Here, barring a mini-regeneration some years back, this stretch of road has been left to fend for itself.


Parking is a nightmare and no occasion has there been a bid to market it to the wider communities with a real focus.


An empty piece of land (which we understand is privately owned) would make a valuable car park. Instead it has threatening ‘no parking’ sign up.


In 20 years time some of these businesses may well have been established for half a century.
It is time we made sure they are still there and bringing much needed business to our towns.