Window dressing

BRITAIN: Empty shop windows are depressing. When it becomes apparent that several shops in a street have gone out of business, the entire neighbourhood suffers. The solution? Create fake shop fronts.

In many English towns, the number of shop closures has risen above 14 per cent, according to analysts at the Local Data Company, which provides data on retail trends and locations. When shops stay vacant, it can ruin business for existing shops, as the area becomes less active and attractive to shoppers. It is important for towns, then, to help empty shops become more appealing — both to shoppers and to potential businesses.

Shopjacket creates "a 3D illusion of a shop" by installing panels in the windows of empty shops, with pictures that show full shelves or brisk business. The panels, made of foam board, vinyl or aluminium, are big enough to fill the entire window. The window dressing shows, for example, a hairdresser, tea shop, bakery or delicatessen, and costs about £1,700. 

Paul Murphy, co-founder of Shopjacket, says there is often initial resistance from shopkeepers, but that the idea is gradually gaining acceptance. He has recently held talks with a potential US investor to bring the shop jackets to stores there.

Elizabeth Cox




"City centres can be about more than just shopping."

Keeping a neighborhood safe and vital is important, says Elizabeth Cox of the New Economics Foundation, a think tank in London. But she adds that it may be time for city planners to recognize that, considering consumers' changed shopping habits, there may simply be too many high-street shops. She suggests that town councils consider other uses of such property: for example, as locations for recycling centres or festivals. "City centres can be about more than just shopping," Cox told the Financial Times.