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Is the high street hotting up?

Who said the high street was dead? With soaring temperatures in the UK, the public is shunning their computers and phones and heading to the Great British high street to part with their hard-earned cash.

According to the latest CBI Distributive Trades Survey, 32% of retailers said that sales volumes were up in July than compared to a year ago and 13% said they had to place more orders with suppliers as a result. A combination of the unusually nice weather (does this weather even belong in the UK?) and World Cup fever have been thanked for the boost in high street sales this July, which also saw 45% of motor traders report that sales volumes were up compared to this time last year (convertible anyone?).

These figures should be seen as a huge positive for the high street, especially following the results from the survey campaign #WDYT (What do you think?) which found consumers want more and better shops available to them. The survey, which was completed by 300,000 people, found that 78% of respondents worry about the high street and 70% are concerned about shops closing – proving that the public still back “popping into town” to do their shopping.

All the positives do come with negatives though – in the same CBI Survey, retailers reported that they expect sales to slow again in August and orders to flatten out. With subdued real wage growth, households are still feeling the financial pinch and retailers are still battling with the reduced costs online retailers are able to offer.

Along with the Government’s inquiry into high streets and town centres 2030 to examine how local areas are planning for the future of their high streets, this month’s results should be seen as a step in the right direction to securing the future of the British high street.

Meet the team: Gary White

Meet Gary White: Managing Director

We’re getting to know the Bluestones One team so, we’ve asked Managing Director, Gary White, about his journey in the merchandising and installation industry and what it’s like leading the team at Bluestones One. How did your journey at Bluestones One begin and what has it been like since?I joined the business in May 2018 and it’s been a whirlwind experience ever since. We built the business from scratch with the support of the group and have gone from strength to strength. We now have a market leading business that will continue to grow and I’m very excited for the next few years. What do you enjoy about working in this industry?No two days are ever the same. We are constantly engaging internally and externally on new projects, ideas and initiatives. As with every business there are always challenges, but as a team we face them head on and come out stronger for the experience. What is your proudest professional moment?There are a few, but we have been very fortunate to be part of such a supportive Investment Group and have won 3 awards in 3 years at the annual awards. Our first one (Best New Business) was incredible but

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